A Gentleman's Obsession
by Miss Nae Malfoy
Summary: She was beautiful & innocent, the most perfect human being I had ever seen. I watched her from afar and realized that for feelings for her were too strong to be healthy. But then she invited me in her apartment- and so she was a gentleman's obsession.
1. Friendly Men

**A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series or anything affiliated with it.**

**Yes, I'm back at it again! Sure, eleven stories is a lot to juggle- but unfortunately, I will be wrapping up three stories by the end of the summer. If you haven't the chance to read any, go click on my profile and see if any tickle your fancy.**

**Enjoy & review.**

"To freedom!" Alice raised her glass in the air, smiling lopsidedly in her tipsy nature. I didn't particularly enjoy drinking, but an invite to a college high dive bar on a last minute relationship crisis was needed. She had just broken up with her long-time boyfriend, whom promised they going to be together forever and get married with a big white house in the backdrop. "And onto something better." Her hazel eyes were already glossy and her vision was slightly unfocused as she glanced down in her drink. "I've turned my back on guys. You're the only one I need, Bella." Her silly little smile told me that she would regret everything she said in the morning; Jasper was an alright guy, with a basic sense or morals and a bright future in the Marketing world. "To the single life, full of happiness and fulfillment!" If she kept toasting, we were going to have to order a third round of Shirley Temples. "May he die painfully, and slowly."

I rolled my eyes at her dramatics; they ended things peacefully one week ago, where they both agreed on a separation and Jasper agreed to move out of their apartment and start somewhere new. The semester was just about over, and next years would give them better time to make sure they shared no classes with each other. But I could understand her borderline mental breakdown- Jasper did everything for her, from paying her rent and balancing her checkbook to driving her to and from class and work. And he was so emotionally bombarding, Alice hardly got a real say in what she did or said. He was always trying to intervene to _protect_ her from a bad decision. While I was the first to admit that Alice made some very foolish decisions before meeting him and less when they were together, she was still her own person and she did need to grow up all on her _own_. He was the caring dad she never had. I glanced down at my jeweled watch and raised a manicured eyebrow at the hour, but it was a good thing I didn't have class tomorrow. "C'mon, Alice, we have to get you home." She nodded slowly and attempted to climb off of her high seat, but fumbled helplessly and lurched right into somebody's arms.

"Whoa there!" The rough male voice called as Alice squirmed around in his arms. I blushed heavily and jumped down my seat, adjusting my ruffled pencil skirt that decided to ride up mid-thigh in the last two hours. "Be careful there, little lady." Alice's eyes swarmed with lust, but I just knew she was going in for the kiss because he looked and sounded just like her ex-boyfriend. I leaned forward and plucked her from the blond guy's hold, our two purses and my pea coat in hand.

"Yeah, thanks." I offered a tiny smile to the southern sports star of UCSD, whom only nodded in reply- Alec was a regular with the girls, and close friends with none other than Jasper Whitlock himself.

"See you around." His cheeky grin relayed the message that he wanted more than just a casual brush of shoulders in the hall, but I shook my head and tossed one of her arms around my shoulder and made a bee line for the door. I wished that was something I could hang over my backside, so that I could get Alec's rude under breath comments out of my head. I finally got Alice in my silver Prius with little opposition and turned on the ngine before backing out of the bar's parking lot. I hadn't really planned on drinking, but there was no other way to get home with my car without driving it. Rosalie and her younger brother, Emmett, were our only true friends here in San Diego, and they were probably out on the town themselves.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." She rumbled slowly, and I fought for something in the backseat for her to puke in with my vision still trained on the road. "No- no, I'm okay." I sighed in relief and turned off the last street before entering the gated community that housed my one bedroom apartment. "Wait, I'm not okay!" But before I could register what she meant,, she opened her bran new, lime-green Michael Kors bag and barfed the living daylights out. "I wanna go home." She cried loudly, and threw up some more.

I tried to contain my laughter as I pulled her from her seat and locked the doors with the click of a button. "You can go home in the morning." I brought us to the elevator and pushed the sixth floor button before the lift closed and went straight up. I hadn't been out this late since the first few days here nearly three years ago, but the complex was mostly quiet, with a majority of us already in a career and elderly years. I decided to stay out of college communities, seeing as it only led to parties and more parties. Alice loved near our sorority sisters, but I was sure the other girls at Lambda Sigma Gamma understood why I was straying away from our chapter house. I had only two classes next semester, so being so close to the campus wasn't really necessary. I stepped out of the elevator's shaft and ran right into a hard chest. I gasped softly and looked up at the stranger, fixing my eyes on the messy bronze hair the immaculately-dressed man had. What was someone gorgeous and dresses that nice doing out in the wee hours of the morning? "I'm sorry!" I squeaked loudly, pushing my body off of his with a weak hand.

His stoic expression gave nothing away; was he angry that I stepped all over him like a clumsy girl, or was he cool about it? I couldn't tell, really. He said nothing, just stared at me with those captivating green eyes. We had bumped into each other a few times over the last few years, but we were never nose-to-nose like this, and he always walked in the opposite direction. This time, he didn't go anywhere. Yes, he was obnoxiously gorgeous, but in a deliciously subtle way. His jaw line was well-structured and every detail of his beautiful face was flawless. "Where's Jasper? Call him, Bella, I need him right now." Her sobs and crocodile tears made me cringe- couldn't she see (even if she was in a dark, deep drunken state) that I was trying to read someone? "I don't want to be alone." Her whiny voice filled my ears, causing me to expel a long breath and look away from the dazzling man.

"Hush, you need sleep." I turned my back to him and feigned a smile, hoping I would be forgiven for keeping him. "Sorry again. I'm Bella." I held out my hand as an offering and waited for his reaction.

A flicker of a second-long look of hesitation passed over his face before he took my hand and shook it sternly, leaving no room for excessive holding or the hint of flirtation. "My name is Edward Cullen." I would never forget that name.

"You live here, right? I'm right down the hall, sixth floor." I added awkwardly, even if he already knew that. The hint of a smile ghosted over his face before he nodded stiffly and proceeded to get on the elevator without another glance. My eyes trailed after him as he climbed into his shiny, sleek Mercedes and drove into the dark of the night. He never made passes at me or really even looked my way, and that made him desirable all the more. I liked when men didn't hang all over me, or huff at my feet like sweaty dogs.

"Mine or yours?" Alice liked her lips playfully, gesturing in the direction he went. I rolled my brown eyes and dragged her along to my front door.

"You cockblocked in a major way tonight, Alice. He isn't any of ours." She pouted comically and began humming a light little tune her mother used to sing us when we were younger.

"A shame, from the way your knees started to shake his body must have felt nice and taught." I sent her an outraged look and pushed us through the open door, settling her in the couch before fetching sheets and pillows from the linen closet. "What, no midnight snack? I think I'm kind of hungry. My mom's restaurant should still be open." Mrs. Jane Masen opened up "Spice" a few decades ago, and since then chains had opened up across California- combined with her father's construction business, the Masens had effectively made a name for themselves in Southern California.

"Spice closes at eleven-thirty, and it's already two in the morning." She yawned with a single shrug of shoulders. "Just close your eyes and lay down. You, missy, have class tomorrow afternoon." she rumbled quietly but gave in to the exhaustion her long day of breakdowns and epiphanies brought. I propped one leg on a pillow and made the other dangle safely off of the edge of my camel-colored sectional; it always worked to control my dizziness and barfing on hangovers.

I thought about Edward as I washed off my makeup and jumped in the shower for a quick rinse before dressing for bed. He was tall and he looked strong… and God, was he beautiful! Oh, who was I kidding? He had the social skills of a hermit and wouldn't give me the time of day if I begged for it. Guys weren't my main focus these days anyway. Morning came too quickly, and when my ten o clock alarm went off, I was too ruddy to wake up and turn it off. Instead, I rolled around bed for a few minutes, praying that time would skip back an hour or two so I could have that much more sleep. With a nasty scowl I bopped the front button and silenced the buzzing before brushing my teeth and hair. I strolled into the living room, where her blanket and pillows were piled neatly on the edge of the couch. Alice was always an early riser, even in a hung over state. "Great." I muttered at the sink full of dirty dishes before doing them, and when I was finished my small apartment suddenly looked too clean to be true. When I lived with Charlie, there was always a part of the house that needed to be cleaned.

I didn't have time to start cleaning what was already clean when three resounding raps sounded at the door. Alice hadn't left me a message, maybe she returned here after getting ready at her house to let me know she was alright before heading to class? I shook my head; I didn't see that happening, since we lived across town from each other and our campus was a good thirty miles away from my apartment. I pulled down my athletic shorts a bit, hating the way they dipped into the crease of my thighs and opened the door. On the other side was Edward, the Greek God Adonis himself. I was hit speechless and could only gape at his odd appearance. "Good morning, Miss Swan." His shy smile did me in.

"G-good… good morning, Mr. Cullen." I stuttered because I was this close to the man I obsessed about all last night in my tenor state. "Call me Bella, though." I eyed the thick bag in the crease of his hand, but failed to probe about it.

"And you may call me Edward, please." Why was he so proper? But it was refreshing, a nice change from the usual Ebonics and slang guys liked to throw around for popularity points. "I just finished a meeting and grabbed brunch, when I thought about…" He hesitated before shifting his weight between feet. "I thought about you, and the fact that you might have been hungry after your… long night." I blushed brilliantly, feeling my entire upper body burn with awareness. He thought about me, and he cared enough to bring something for me? That was so sweet… and maybe just a little creepy. "I do hope you have a taste for crepes." I nodded quickly and invited him with a gesture of my hand before closing the solid door behind him. He was a stranger and a potential rapist, but there was just this aura about him that told me I could trust him.

"Thank you, really. This is too much, though- how about I split the bill? Just let me get my wallet and tell me how much-" I rushed as I brought out silverware and my finest porcelain plates. I needed an excuse to clean, or else I would die of boredom, surely.

"No." His brisk reply cut me off. "This is a gift given out of generosity, not with intentions of a payback." The stone look came back, and to be honest his voice kind of scared me. I felt my pulse quicken and my throat start to dry, so to mask my fear I nodded and turned my back to fix the plates. I was applying two crepes and an omelet to each plate when his hands ghosted over my shoulders and his breath fanned the side of my face. I stilled instantly, going rigid when thoughts of rape and the horrible things he could do once he overpowered me went through my head. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I only wanted to bring a bright smile to your face."

I articulated a smile for show and nodded again before serving out plates on the marble island in my kitchen. "Thanks again." I sent him a small lift of lips and began to cut apart my large crepe. "It's really good!" my eyes nearly rolled to the back of my head when the fresh strawberries and powdered sugar touched my tongue. It was so heavenly, and added to the fact that he was sitting right next to me made everything that much more delicious.

"Anything for you." I kept my smile, but the bubble of spontaneous fun inside of me faltered. Why was he talking to me like he knew me? We went from strangers sharing a complex to friends sharing brunch and chatting up! It sent warning flags off in my head, but I ignored it. I was just being silly, paranoid Bella.

**A/N: Hmmm, Bella, any NORMAL person would have **_**not **_**answered that door and let a stranger in. But then again, her naivety and inexperience makes writing my stories so fun.**

_**Review**_**, **_**Favorite**_**, and keep reading.**


	2. Spice

**A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series or anything affiliated with it.**

"Hello, welcome to Spice." I greeted an elderly couple at the door, charming them with my legendary smile and soft expression. People loved being greeted at the door by a done-up woman eager to meet their every need. "Do you have a reservation?" Spice was always packed, but not more so than Wednesday through Saturday nights, and so my job here was pretty secure. Sure, we all feared that budget cuts would be made with the stand-still awful recession we were in- and of course, an owner would first fire a non-beneficial door stander before they actually fired a floor worker. I always assumed in such a case, I would just resume a waitress position. When the couple gave me their name and I found it on the scribbled list, I ushered them to an open table beneath the large wall of wine bottle. Decoration purposes only, of course. I strolled back to my wide expanse of a desk and began to check off on the names that had already arrived. University was a great experience and my monthly financial aide was sufficient, but there were just bills I had to pay and no other source of income. My parents were just finished paying off my dad's boat and mortgage on the house, so I didn't want to be any more of a bother than I already was.

Working four days a week wasn't so bad, and my hours were flexible enough. From six to twelve every shift, I always had enough time to study in the mornings and afternoons, plus my off days from Sunday-Tuesday. In college, my mom had a full-time job, no government aide, and less supportive parents than I had- I knew I would be able to make it in my circumstance! "Good evening, welcome to Spice." A group of five walked in, all the statuesque of night-goers and hipster college guys. "Do you have a reservation?" Keep smiling, Bella, I had to remind myself. The only part of this job that I didn't like was the stares and ogling- I always kept my nightly outfits and demure and creative, but alas stares always happened. I touched at my loose bun gingerly and began to blush.

The tallest male with a red, plaid long sleeve cleared his throat and leaned against my high-placed podium. "Yeah, under Ryerson." I went down the list, gulping silently as I skimmed over the different names of the night. I felt all of their eyes on my backside as I served them at a table in the farthest part of the room, the outside patio area gated from the busy cobblestone sidewalk. "Thanks, beautiful." He winked suggestively (with an echo of howls and melodramatic gasps from his friends) and I bit my tongue- he didn't mean that, the word beautiful. I could tell by the way he hung onto his lower lip and spoke to my chest more than my face. Instead of saying something rash, I smiled and stepped away from the scene and back to my home place. I hated when people abused the word "beautiful"- it was such an innocent and lovely word, why ruin it?

"Why the long face, girl? Someone step on your shoes again?" Lauren, in her black and white uniform, leaned on the desk part of my area. I shook my head and stayed at the podium, checking off another name. Alice never wanted to work here, as she didn't like taking orders or working with her mother, but when she did come she spent most of her time in the kitchens, entertaining Chef Lahote (Paul was her long-time crush, unadvisedly). I had to make new friends when I first started working here last year. I sighed as I realized I was so close to wrapping up my second year at Uni and still didn't have much to show for time. Other than almost straight A's, almost a full time job, and almost a nice apartment- things weren't falling into place like I thought they were. Mrs. Masen walked down the carpeted hall to my desk and eyed both of us critically. Sometimes, she was an evil witch with a wicked temper. Other times, she was a sweet pea with a heart of gold. It was a no-brainer why Alice didn't want to work here. "Good evening, Mrs. Masen." I murmured sweetly, not wanting to trigger a bad mood in the wake.

"Good evening, Jane." Lauren added with unnecessary acid. Since Lauren was promoted to Head Barista, things between she and our boss went downwards. It some hatred or another, seeing as Lauren was the only one of Riley Masen's squeezes that seemed to last. Riley worked in the back office as the Financial Advisor, Activities and Press Coordinator, and the official peace keeper of his mother and Lauren's spats. We knew Riley was overqualified for the kind of work he did, but his mother trusted very few people in this world. She made that clear every employee meeting. Speaking of meetings, we had one after closing today… I internally rolled my eyes.

"Do you not have a drink to concoct, Mrs. Mallory?" Lauren simpered off in a huff, obviously hating the belittlement Mrs. Masen was always capable of. "Very good evening, Isabella. Keep up the good work." Her Bi-Polar ass walked away with that and I was left my all-consuming thoughts again. It was a good thing Jane Masen only had one son, so I was clear for take-off in the sense that I would never step on her toes in my love life. My phone began to vibrate loudly in the pocket of the silk dress I wore, but I pressed the "avoid" bar without hesitation. Every time she caught us on our phones during a shift, we were assigned bathroom duty/vacuum duty/silverware cleansing/kitchen floor duty- which ever option pained us most. I had only been caught twice, once right before my shift ended and twice when I accepted and emergency phone call from my mother. Turned out, _emergency _meant her favorite star dying off of a TV show. I was assigned kitchen floor mopping first, and bathroom duty the second. Each took a good hour to finish (not overtime, of course), and I realized that the regular janitors that cleaned such places really did deserve their props. By the end of the night, dirt and muck was in places they shouldn't have been.

The night waned on, with customers entering and exiting the front doors with expectant smiles on their faces. I refused to take my cut in the daily tip spliting routine, as I doubted I deserved a dime of that money. My salary was enough and all I needed. Mike and Jessica emerged from the restrooms together five minutes till ten, when both of thei breaks ended. I pretended to ignore their romance spreading, but it was too difficult ot act blind. Mike Newton was a suckery fellow with sticky hands, but it wasn't like I really expected anything great from our one and only date a few weeks ago. He was nice enough even if he expected sex and breakfast- I nearly kicked him down the stairs and promised myself I would no longer date people I worked with. And then Jessica caught wind of our cheesy date at the pub around the corner and decided she needed to sink her claws in before it was too late. I figured the only thing late was her period. "Hey." Jessica Stanely offered politely as she walked on by and immediately tended to an impatient-looking old man.

All walks of life came through those doors, including the very ritzy and infamously known. "Good evening, sir." Mr. Santiguirmoe, a very good friend of Mr. Masen's, walked through the door with a team of bodyguards flanking him. He was an older man with speckled hair and very, _very _pensive black eyes. "Your table is this way, sir." The younger woman on his arm and a relatively close business associate eyed me speculatively, as If I was the one rolling around in Mafia money.

I hated this part of working for the Masens- Mr. Masen knew dirty money and allowed the likes to dine and wine at his own place. "Is there anything I can fetch for you? Perhaps complimentary Mescato while you consider your order?" I offered in a sickly sweet voice, the one men loved to hear; he shook his head and bade me away from his private table in what we, as the employees, considered the "VIP Lounge"- basically the special treatment tables where Mr. Masen sent his clients and colleagues to spend the evening of their life in pure luxury and had no wanton that a waiter couldn't meet. I was never here during the day for the female soprano singer, but the male opera voice during the evening was grand enough to listen to all night. The melodies were always the same, but Aro and his young viola-playing son Caius were always putting something different into things. Another two hours passed by quickly, and when the last group of the night simpered off, I plopped myself on my cushioned chair and ripped my stilettos off. These guys were torture in pure beauty form! "Not easy bearing the pain for the beauty?" James, our Head Waiter, quipped tauntingly from behind his black half-apron.

I shrugged and pulled out my cell, trying to ignore his presence by going through my phone. The clock read 12;01, just one minute after my shift ended. There was no way that witch could complain! "Of course not." I mumbled quietly after replying to a few emails from my old friends at Forks High, along with one of my uncles out in Arizona. Angela sent me a message over Dotcom, the most recent "social networking" site out there. The only reason I created a profile for myself for the new job opportunities professors led us on to believe came with putting yourself out there. I had my resume, former job references, and college certifications all on the site- but since my activation a year ago, I realized that perhaps a site used for dating, hooking up, and talking trash wasn't exactly the greatest scene for new job scouts. "How's Vicky?" He used to bring Victoria around all of the time, whether it be for meetings, barbeques, or holiday parties. But now that she was pregnant, she was more of a stay-at-home deal.

"Doing well." And that was all he was going to unveil?

"How far along is she? Do you know the sex yet?" I had to admit, I was relatively excited for a new baby- even if it didn't belong to me, I loved the thought of new lives forming and another human in existence. James was attractive yes, but he had the way about him that automatically put you off. Alice liked to call it the "creeper" eyes he owned, but even Paul grew weary around the long-haired blond.

"She's probably… five months now." A simple shrug followed. "The doctor said it was a girl, but I'm sure he's wrong. I can only make boys." I had to hold my eye roll- _what, so if this __**is **__a girl it can't possibly be yours, right?_ God, men like him really knew how to get under my skin! This was his first kid, why wasn't he more excited? Wasn't fatherhood supposed to be one of those things that every man doesn't look forward to until their girl is pregnant? I didn't understand why men thought the way they did.

"What makes you think that?" I had to know the method behind his madness.

"My whole family is nothing but boys. And anyway, I want a son. Daughters are far too… complicated for my liking. I want a boy that looks just like me." His lopsided smirk drove me mad- why did guys that looked like him always so negative and dense? "Can you tell Mrs. Masen that I had to skip out on the meeting tonight? Vicky's been calling since eleven." He rolled his eyes and walked off when I nodded; of course, these meetings weren't mandatory (as we weren't getting paid to be here after twelve) and they only ever lasted fifteen minutes, but the more responsibility you took on in front of Mrs. Masen the better off you were in her restaurant. We all met up at the main table of the restaurant, a fifteen-seater with an Egyptian gold-threaded table cloth. I plopped myself between Lauren and Jake, whom were laughing about something stupid a customer did the night before.

"Tonight was in excellent spirits, and I just wanted to share a word with everyone about attitude. Kindness and obedience truly make this world go round, and every time I look around at my employees I see just that! It fills me with hope for the future that this restaurant, my very first one opened, will be able to expand up and out." We clapped in procession, realizing that applause was probably what she wanted. To her, every night was one night closer to reaching her goal- but to most of us, it just meant one more paycheck to cover what we owe and supply us with necessary nutrients. "If the construction plans are accepted and reviewed properly in the next few months, we will be remodeling and building a second floor!"

My eyes grew wide. She wanted a two-story restaurant? That meant more chefs, more waiters, and more food to be handled! Surely she hadn't thought this through? Paul's sous chef Leah looked on expectantly, as if she were going to explain why. But Mrs. Masen left us there. "Are there any complaints or feedback from customers?" No one said a word, as we really never remembered exactly what a guest would say to us. Tables were numbers and faces were orders, and that was it. We didn't have time to distinguish every single person. "Great. Meeting is adjourned! I will see all of you at tomorrow's evening shift. Good night!"

I mumbled a farewell in return and unpinned my nametag from the breast of my dress as I got into my silver car. Alice sent me a text just minutes ago begging for me to come over and have a few daquiris with her, and I found that the idea of venting some with my best girl did sound splendid. I hopped onto the highway and relaxed behind the wheel. Only a few cars were out- most people were in bed by now and the night owls wouldn't be about in their cars for another two hours when the clubs let out at two o'clock. My phone rang loudly and brought me out of my dwelling reverie. "Hello?" I put the cell to my ear and answered slowly.

There was a moment of silence before his voice came on. "Hello, Bella. You said that you were okay with me calling?" Edward sounded doubtful, as if calling up another person was the greatest invasion of space there was.

I laughed quietly, not wanting him to know I thought he was really funny when he was nervous. "Yeah, of course! So, what's up?"

He cleared his throat acutely. "You are usually home at this hour, are you not?" I bit my lip at his questioning- our conversation yesterday was fine tuned and filled with all of his questions for me. Where I worked, if I liked it, what my hours were, what the customers were like… it was as if he never stepped foot into a restaurant before! And then he bombarded me with university questions, and I tried to remind myself that this is what I loved in a guy- a _listener_.

"Yeah, usually. We had a late meeting tonight and…" Wait, did I want to tell him about Alice? He already had a certain image of her from her binge drinking, did I want to put the icing on the cake? To me, it didn't matter what he thought of me or Alice. Edward was still that much of stranger, and I wasn't going to let myself fall all over him. "And I should be home soon." Why did it sound like we were a couple, and why did I feel like I was blowing off my wife to be a cheating husband at another woman's house?

The notion made me laugh- ha, Alice was going to shit herself when I explained everything. I was the husband always in "meetings", she was the side woman, and Edward was the doting wife worrying listlessly about her late-night hubby! "I only called to make certain that you were fine. Working at a restaurant in such wee hours of the morning isn't safe, Bella."

I had to smile at his sincerity. No one ever called to ask how I was, and not even my own parents expressed their grief over my shifts and hours. Everyone always assumed I was going to be okay- I _was _Isabella Swan, after all. "Aww, thanks for worrying about me, babe! But I'm okay." Another small silence filled the phone line- was it something I said? I thought about my words and how I could have rephrased them to be more sensitive about his worry for me. I could be such an insensitive bitch sometimes!

"No one has ever regarded me by a… pet name before." Oh, so that was what he got all weird over? I called everyone "babe", I didn't reserve it for certain male friends. But now that it was so important to him, I couldn't just take it away with another insensitive remark about how it was just a casual word for me. "Does every man that calls you at midnight receive the same gesture?" There was a hint of giddiness in his voice, or was I just imagining it? Yes, I figured I imagined it- no sexy, single guy like Edward got all happy over one little affectionate word!

I rolled my eyes and giggled at his remark. Oh, yes, because there were _so _many men calling me off the hook at midnight. "_No_, babe." There was the sound of his smile, and I just knew this guy was going to get addictive. I was not but five miles from Alice's house when I realized that as much as he made me happy and school girl-ish, I was still lying to him. I wasn't going home. But it wasn't like he was expecting me, right? I wanted to add, "don't wait up for me", but I just couldn't bring myself to. What if this was just it what seemed like- a caring individual calling to make sure I was alright? I was reading farther into this than I should have.

"excellent." His velvety voice was filled with brimming euphoria. "Perhaps later I will come around with some cheesecake?" My mouth watered at just the mention of my favorite dessert, but I squinted and cursed under my breath.

No! Don't do that! "Umm, actually, I'm feeling a headache coming on- it's been a really long night. Gonna hit the sheets as soon as I get home. Don't worry about me, okay? You need some sleep tonight, too!" I tried to keep my voice as light as possible.

"Are you positive? It's red velvet." I was so weak, I was ready to turn my car around for red velvet cheesecake and a sexy little neighbor on the side! But I already promised Alice I would be there for her in her two weeks of mourning, I couldn't turn my back on her now.

"However delightful your offer sounds, my headache still stays the same. But thanks for caring so much, Edward, really. It's a nice change from the usual assholes in my phonebook. I'll see you later on then?" Would anyone know how hard it was for me to decline that sort of offer?

"Of course, Bella, anything for you. Good night." I said the same and hung up quickly, not trusting myself to be able to keep driving straight if I heard his voice any longer. When I made a sharp turn for her gated community, I nearly ran over the side sprinklers in my rage. I dialed her number quickly, seeing as the Homeowners Association decided that changing the security code every five days was the best day to keep criminal out of their neighborhood! I typed in her code and drove in. Alice was her usual self, drinking her little body to the point of tipsy before finally realizing all of the things that went wrong in her relationship. I consoled her and cleaned up her daiquiri mess before sending her to bed and grabbing a cup of her instant coffee. I had homework to work on and a project to research at home, but I knew that cops were dime a dozen out here- I did not want to ruin my routine by acquiring a nasty DUI! To keep me awake as I sobered up, I switched on old I Love Lucy re-runs and entertained myself her with her quirky humor.

But it was late and I had just finished a tiresome shift, so my eyelids drooped low and my mouth hung open- sleep came all too fast for me to fight it.


	3. Volcanoes

**A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series or anything affiliated with it.**

**Artist of the week- don't know if you guys watch American Idol, but there is this contestant that is absolutely on repeat on my iPod! **

**Phillip Phillips- oh, he's so dreamy! The song I used is called "Volcanoes", the original singer is Damien Rice.**

I awoke with a start at the feel of Alice's bony fingers insistently poking at my exposed shoulder. "Get up, sleepy head. You have class in an hour." I didn't quite believe her until I chanced a look at my cell phone's clock and saw that it really was almost nine. "I tried to wake you up earlier… but you looked way too peaceful." She shrugged easily and left the room. I scrambled to collect my things and called out a short goodbye before slamming the door and racing home. Why was everything about peacefulness and carelessness with Alice? Didn't she know I was always one for punctuality and hated being late for class? I waited for the elevator, but when I heard it ding for other floors too slowly, I dashed away and up the stairs, taking nearly two at a time before I made it to my door. Without thinking, I unlocked it and flew through, tossing my wrinkled dress and heels on the ground before darting into my bathroom and connecting bedroom. My shower lasted no longer than ten minutes and dressing was the easiest part- a UCSD hoodie over the closest pair of pants to my hand. I slipped on mismatched socks and combed through my hair with my dry fingers as I dialed Rosalie's number and stuck the cell phone between my shoulder and ear. "Hello."

I ambled to my kitchen idly. "Hey, Rosa, I cant make it to Almer's today." I chanced a look at the bulky red wall clock above my built-in stove- I only had thirty minutes before class started, a nice steaming cappuccino wasn't in the cards for me this morning.

"Why?" Her voice was snappy, but bordering concern,

"I'm running late already, look- I gotta go. See you in Physics?" We shared coffee in a group most mornings. Rosalie, Lauren, Tanya, Angela, & I were caffeine fiends with a mutual understanding that we needed to vent, and Almer's Roast House was the best place to do so. I hung up and twirled around to go back to my room and bumped into a solid form- a nice, sculpted chest that led to a handsome face. "Edward!" I squealed loudly and jumped back a little, running my frightened eyes all over his face. How the hell did he get in?

"Your door was open." He gestured simply to the still-open door. I sighed in relief that he hadn't been some psychotic loon trying to stop me from making it on time to Mr. Farley's physics class. Although, with his demurity and mannerisms, I didn't see what possessed him to just walk through the door without being invited in first? Today I had Physics, English Lit, & Algebra 2- three classes that I loved dearly and always tried to excel in. "And I don't understand why that is?" His piercing green eyes were stormy as he regarded me with a patient enough gleam in his eyes. "I really don't grasp why you felt the need to lie to me about coming home."

My heart sank at his statement, but I really didn't have time for this. "I'm sorry, Edward, I can explain this later. But right now, I have a class that I'm running late to-"

"Oh, I completely understand." And with that, he stepped right out of my opened door without another word. I thought about the business suit he wore and wondered why he was even home at nine o clock in the morning… it couldn't possibly be because he had waited for me? His job had to be way more important (judging by hid clothes and vehicle) than some girl coming home, right? I locked up everything and just barely made it to class on time. I sat next to Rosalie and settled my heavy duty backpack between my legs, ignoring th evil glances she spared me every few minutes.

"Quit looking at me like that." I muttered lowly. But Rosalie feigned indifference and I finished my day easily. I wrapped up a project by myself in the student library and devoted an hour to a paper due next Monday before heading home for a nap. Dressing was the usual for work, and with no special effort put in my skimpy outfit, I didn't feel the love.

Later That Evening-

I fidgeted with my keys as I got off on the sixth floor; I looked up and saw that his lights were on and he was probably still up. Should I go talk to him. Or were things still too weird for conversation? The war waged on until I finally climbed one more set of stairs and slowly crawled at a snail's pace to his front door. It took me forever to finally got the guts to knock, and when I did I caught the chock of my life. A woman with radiant brownish hair, tall build, and long fingernails answered the door, a large wineglass filled with Burgundy cupped in one hand and the other casually lounging against the doorknob. I opened and closed my mouths several times before taking to standing awkwardly in front of her. "Yes?" Was her persistent reply, but nothing came out from me. Just stupid, stupid, stupid silence.

"Who is at the door?" His velvety voice called out from what I assumed was his bedroom.

I shook my head wildly when she was about to call out a reply, and thanks to whatever angel was guiding me, the hazel-colored brunette shut her mouth and turned back towards me. There was a silent exchange we shared, and it was like she was reading my mind when she called out, "It's nobody. Just an empty hallway." I was elated that she was playing along with me, but another part faltered. She was alone with him. Who knew what they were going to do- what they had already done, perhaps? I internally shook my head and took a step back, accepting that what he did in his private life was absolutely none of my business. She won, she had him. But as she faced me and slowly shut the door, I saw his bare-chested body loungly come through thr farback hallways and stop mid-towel drying when the closing door revealed my surprised face. So, I did what my scared mind told me to- I dashed down the flight of stairs at neck-breaking speed.

"Isabella!" I heard him call out my name loudly, but I ignored his voice and continued hopping down my stairs to the sheltered carports. I was so embarrassed! It was bad enough that I went up tp hhis apartment, let alone show my face to his lady friend! I was near the end fo the staircase when the heel of my heavy stilettos caught a pebble on the stiar and I was sent forward, barely catching my tumble on the side railing. "Isabella, please!" His voice was still somewhere behind me, but now he was gaining speed. How in the world fif this turn into a race? I didn't want him chasing me, I wanted to be alone!

I strode angrily towards my own carport, determined to go anywhere to get away from here. Gosh, how stupid did that make me look? Probably _desperate _and more so now that she saw me sprint from him like a scared little girl. That was what I was, considering they were older, wiser adults! Edward snatched my by my arm and turned me around roughly, wild fire dancing in his green opals. "Why were you running from me? Repulsed so from… me?" I didn't at first catch his meaning, but when I looked down at his bare chest peaking from the half-buttoned dress shirt, I began to piece it. There were deep scars, scattered loosely down his chest and into his shoulder.

"I need to be somewhere." Not here, with him.

"At this hour? You need to be upstairs, in a warm bed. Not out here in the parking lot in… _this_." He gestured angrily at my blue evening dress. I knew he wouldn't have liked how short it was; I actually thought of him stating his disapproval, but I still didn't look up at him. Maybe if I ignored his speech he would get the hint? Instead, his fingers wrapped around my chin and made us make eye contact with one controlled jerk. "Explain yourself, Bella."

I melted into his touch like the slut I was. "I'm sorry… so sorry! I didn't mean to…" My sobs and broken words probably seemed really childish, but it didn't matter. He didn't care about me, he had another girl waiting for him in his apartment! I was so foolish to think that he was this dashing new stranger with hermit-like social tendencies. Well, he really pulled the wool over my eyes! But Edward was different. He wrapped his arms around my body and I clung to his waist with my head buried in his chest. "I'm sorry, Edward. I probably ruined your whole night. That girl up there… I didn't mean to impose on you. I just came to apologize for not explaining everything to you this morning." I swallowed slowly, chancing a quick glance up at him. Despite my wet tears soiling his nice shirt and my dramatics running full-blast, he looked happy and content like this. Who in the entire universe could be joyful about a sobbing girl in their arms?

"Why did you feel the need to lie to me?" I cringed at his use of vocabulary. It wasn't exactly a lie… more like a little misunderstanding.

"Alice called me before my shift was over and made me promise to stop by and have some drinks with her." I decided honesty would work best with a man like Edward. "I told myself I was going to leave right after she fell asleep, but… I don't know." My eyebrows furrowed; I didn't want to admit that hanging out with Alice, going to school full-time, and working part-time was taking its toll on me. "I was tipsy." There was a lie- the coffee and crackers sobered me up just fine. It was exhaustion. "And she lives so far, so I was in a big rush to get ready…" I sighed heavily, hating the fact that today was so jumbled around.

"You should have called me last night. I would have been there to drive you home safely- I do not want you to consider driving home intoxicated ever again." His eyes were so serious that I found myself nodding. "Though I am pleased," he dipped his mouth to my ear and played with my lobe teasingly, "so pleased to hear that you had the greatest intentions of coming back home." I stilled under his touch. When he said "home", did he mean his place or mine? "There is still an uneaten cheesecake with your beautiful name on it upstairs. What do you say?" He chuckled against my upper neck when he felt me shudder. Where was the shy, no-contact guy at?

"That sounds so good right now." Lord, I was a cheap sellout. "But really, you need to get back to your lady friend upstairs. I don't mind another night." I tried to keep the vice in my voice at bay, but it was just too much. I liked him, okay? It was hard to be casual about another woman taking all of his attention away from me.

His charming smile eased my fear. "I will dismiss her immediately, her fiancé is already waiting at the restaurant." A casual shrug left his body, and he held my hand to walk me back up to his floor before I knew it. Great, how was I going to look in front of this woman? Well, she was here with another man when her fiancé was patiently awaiting her arrival somewhere else. She couldn't pass that harsh of judgment, right? I hesitated at the door, but he pushed us on through and brought me slightly behind him when her wild mount of loose curls came into view from his bedroom. "My plans for the evening have changed, Elizabeth."

Her initial nonchalance turned to unabated anger when her eyes wept past me. "This is the third time you've done this, Edward." What did she mean by that? Was this the third time he chose another woman over her? If so, I wanted to make it painstakingly clear that I was not the type of woman that made a man pick over another. I could simply walk away from it. Elizabeth was closer to his height that I ever was, and her expensive gown blew my bargain dress from a small chain of boutiques out of the water! "This Sunday, eight o clock. Cancel that one and reap the consequences." Her tone was evil and she collected her small clutch and stormed out. But her anger wasn't towards me- she just radiated it directly to Edward.

"Elizabeth has yet to come to terms with the fact that men are going to occasionally tell her no." I smiled for the effect and sat down on one of the high seats of his long table. The décor of his house was fabulous, like something right out of a Home & Style magazine cover.

"Who likes to be told no?" I was trying to ease us out of the topic of that woman, seeing as I didn't understand just how she fit into his life. Exactly how did _I _fit in here, also? Neighbors, friends, strangers? It was all very weird and uncharted- something I wasn't too comfortable with. Edward expertly dissected the small cake into different variations and size. He placed one every large slice between us; I hated ot admit that I would have finished that entire goddamn plate if he would turn around long enough. People's stares perturbed my normal eating habits and made me feel so… naked. I finally went for a silver fork on the counter when his hand stopped me.

"No." He uttered playfully and kissed the knuckles of my right hand before turning my palm over and smothering his lips over every line and crevice. His ministrations stained my cheeks red, but the wanton for the delicious pastry won out over my newfound lust. I hated being told "no"! But he did something shocking- he picked up the fork, cut out a small piece and brought it right to my lips. I opened my mouth accordingly and savored the rich taste of the red velvet inside. Oh, that was heavenly! "Is it to your liking?" Was he kidding? Couldn't he see the orgasmic look on my face? It was almost as delicious as he looked, half-dressed and starry-eyes.

There was one thing most people didn't know about me, and it wasn't exactly a detail in my life that I paraded around. I was a virgin, plain and simple. A twenty year old virgin, yes- some thought it pathetic, but I figured I was at a good stage in my life without sex thus far. Why try to fix something that wasn't broken? I went on plenty of dates, gone pretty far with a select few guys, and enjoyed the entire parade along the way. Actual sexual intercourse wasn't a biggie for me, but there was one small aspect of my libido that I knew for sure- food, good food, turned me on. It put me in this mood that allowed for the wilder, open version of my own self. The thought that I admitted my sexual desire linked to food was embarrassing, but people got off on way stranger things than that!

So I leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his lips, but he took this for more than I meant- his tongue slipped inside my parted lips and his hands went to the nape of me neck in two fluid motions.

_What I am to you is not real-What I am to you, you do not needWhat I am to you, is not what you mean to meYou give me miles and miles of mountainsAnd I'll ask for the sea._

Edward was an excellent kisser and knew exactly where to put his hands how to position us correctly- but his tongue went so deep that I almost felt choked as he tried to taste every last drop of cheesecake in my mouth.

After a few seconds, too-much-tongue eased up and teased my lips dauntingly; it was almost as if he had practiced this, like had had done this with too many women too many times before. I broke away from our make out session and kept my eyes downcast. "What's wrong, Isabella? Did I hurt you?" _No_, I wanted to scream. You didn't do a god damn thing, Mr. Perfect!

"No, no." I answered quickly, an easy smile on my lips. "I'm just really uncomfortable in this dress; one of the waiters at work spilled some wine on my and it's still kind of sticky." And that was true- Mike was walking by with two flutes of spirit on a platter when he turned to around to tell me something and some jackass bumped into him, sending the liquids splashing on he and I.

"Then you must change." There was a level of concern in his eyes, and we had more than enough texting conversations about my job and why I should quit. It wasn't a lot of money, but it was enough for me to enjoy life in and out of school. This was the perfect opportunity to slip away, as I didn't like the feeling of getting played like a fool. He was nice, yes, but he was a man and men only ever wanted one thing. You didn't order special-serviced pies, exactly the right brand of strong Burgundy to go with it, and invite a girl in without wanting sex. I saw it too many times at Spice.

"Yeah, you're right." And he walked away, down the hall to his room. My mouth hung open slightly ajar, did he just dismiss me? While feeling a little put off, I realized that this was what exactly I wanted. So why was I so offended? Before I could make a move to the door, he came back into the kitchen and offered me a folded shirt and a pair of fresh boxers that would undoubtedly fit me like baggy shorts. I took them gingerly, careful not to show the disappointment on my face. I wanted to go home, not wear his clothes. "Wow, thank you, Edward. You're so kind." I got on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek, careful not to venture to his mouth again.

Why did this feel like the sweetest trap I had ever fallen in?


	4. Scream

**A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series or anything affiliated with it.**

I adjusted the collar of my evening dress, a knee-length chiffon cluster with a plunging neckline. The mirror inside of my locker winked back at me, almost as if it knew what the night would bring before anyone else did. I glanced down at my cell phone, realizing I only had two minutes before I was due to clock in my timecard- I ran to the station and made it just in time before I scampered back into the main seating area. Athenadora Wellford (such a regal name, I was almost sure it wasn't her birth one) passed me by as I made my elegant stroll to the front; she was the daytime Hostess, and took any little odd hours I couldn't take on with school. We were more friends than enemies, and definitely not strangers. "Good luck tonight. The crowd's a little wild." Athena winked cutely before patting my shoulder and walking away towards the Employee Lounge. Mrs. Masen purposely bought shitty accommodations, I believed, just to keep us out of there. The coffee was cheaper than instant, the chairs were stiff and tall, the table was never wiped clean, and she had pictures of herself and her precious teacup poodle, Leila, put up everywhere. Who would want to lounge in there for breaks or lunches?

The first three hours always fly by fast for me, but it's the hour before my "lunch" that go by antagonizing slow. It was only a thirty minute lunch, but I wasn't going to complain any. I was technically part-time, so she only had to give me two ten minutes breaks. But Mrs. Masen was as fair a boss as she was a bitchy mother- it worked out for me, just not my best friend. Speak of devil, she waltzed right through the door in her Gucci get-up and expensive purse; she walked around the front desk and plopped down next to me on top of the table. "Busy night, eh? How about I give my mom the stiffy and we head out of here?"

"Hello, welcome to Spice. Do you have any preferred seating, or would a table by a window suit your needs?" I ignored Alice and instead waited on an elderly couple with shaky hands.

"Anywhere's fine, Ms." The grey-haired woman didn't look kind nor patient, but it was a plus that she hadn't called me a name. In this level of restaurants, there weren't very many rude customers- or, _clients_, as we were prepped to call them. I sat them at a table far from my own, in Jessica's section, and walked back to my desk in hopes that she had left. But there she was, her short legs dangling from the side of my desk.

"You should leave before your mom comes around… you know she hates when you bother the clients." I nudged her sharply. Alice Masen was lovely, yes- she loved animals, shoes, Southern men, and most of all, her father. But her mother was a different being in her eyes. For some reason or another, Alice and Jane grew a certain hatred for each other- was it because they looked so alike and no one wanted to keep that fact from them? Or was it because they had such conflicting beliefs about life, tearing them apart and away from the familial bond they could have had? I pondered these things for the last two years. None of those explanations made real sense to me, seeing as that was everyday stuff between a mother and daughter. It wasn't grounds for true hatred.

Alice shrugged her shoulders with a nasty look of contempt. "What is she going to do, kick me out of the restaurant? The food's shitty anyway." While I would admit the Calzone was mushy and way too saucy, there were other authentic Italian meals on the menu that tasted just great! The door opened and I turned away from her with a few menus in hand; they were the type that didn't list the price of an item, simply because these people didn't care. I only ever ate here because I received an employee discount, which cut most of the prices in half- except the wine and imported champagne, that was always off limits.

"Why? Your precious Jared cooks it, you know." I pointed out eagerly, hoping to get some kind of rise out of the little fairy. I got that she hated her mom and would rebel in anyway possible just to see a pissed off look cross her face, but I had work to do. I didn't get off my shift for another three hours. Spice saw all walks of life- from the rich and the famous, to the sponsored-endorsed and the infamous, but I didn't know… _he _came here, too. "Hello, good evening. Welcome to Spice." I tried to keep a blind eye to the fact that he was with another woman, the same woman from a few days before. I waited for Edward to initiate a hug or a wink, something that told me he wasn't embarrassed that I was going to serve him a seat for dinner. This Elizabeth woman looked like she owned people, how would I ever match up to a woman like that?

"Reservation under Cullen." Funny, I would have remembered making a reservation under his name… unless Athena answered the reservation during the day? I was living on a school kid's budget with a blasphemy occupation, how on Earth did I begin to show up this Elizabeth, who pranced about in real Louboutins and Prada bags? I remembered nearly fainting when I purchased my first knock off Louis Vuitton for two hundred dollars, "A table with a view." She didn't even wait for to me ask, and there wasn't a hint of "please" anywhere in that statement. Edward kept his eyes trained forward, not glancing at me once. Alice sent me a queer look, as if she understood our weird tension without me even pointing it out. I nodded and grabbed two menus, assuming this was the private dinner that it seemed.

"Your waitress will be with you shortly, please enjoy your evening." I plastered a pleasant smile on my face, but I didn't really want them to be pleasant. I wanted him to hate her, or at least not pull out the chair for her. I turned on my heel and sped back to my station, wanting to be away from the balcony seats as fast as possible.

"Who is that? And why you guys doing the awkward break-up faces?" Alice launched in with questions almost immediately, but I didn't have the time to answer them. I only shook my head and assisted the next customers with an ever-present smile on my face- that's what they wanted to see, a smile. They were paying customers, what they wanted they got. I tried to keep a silent eye on Edward and Elizabeth, so that I wouldn't have to witness them walking out together, but there was an onslaught of customers and I had little time to think about anything else.

"My party is already here, under Cullen." A man with short black hair and dark skin said with a slight note of impatience, as if my existence was a nuisance to him.

"Right through here, sir." I smiled through it all and brought along another menu; who was this handsome young thing, and what was he doing at Edward's table? I hated the journey there and the false smiles I had to send to both Edward and Elizabeth, but I took everything with a grain of salt. He obviously didn't want this woman to know that we knew each other, whether it be out of embarrassment or his own privacy, and I was going to respect that rather than make a fool out of myself.

"I want a dirty martini, hold the god-forsaken olive. Jacob, what would you like?" She turned to her new guest with a certain closeness I felt with Edward, but he only shook his head. I opened my mouth to object with a touch of tenderness, but she leaned on her elbows, the portrait-cut line of her dress giving nothing away. "_Dirty _martini, girl, _dirty_. I will go absolutely insane if I am sent another dry martini, when I specifically asked for a dirty order." My eyes went to Edward; maybe now that she was being rude, he would step up and correct her, or at least show that he and I knew one another? But he was staring intently down at his menu instead, never even passing me a glance.

"I will send a barista to privately consult you, as I hope your order will be as dirty as your liking." I knew I was pushing it with my sass, but she was really asking for some lip. By dirty, did she perhaps also mean poured on the ground, mopped up, and wrung out into a crystal martini glass? If so, I would gladly go make one of those right now. "Enjoy the rest of your evening." I sent a curt reply and made a quick bee line to the open bar, calling out Lauren's name with vigor. "I need you to go to table 34 on the balcony- you cant miss her, the bitch has the face of a tiger." I murmured softly, earning a dirty smile from Lauren Mallory herself.

"Ow, the claws are out!" She wiped her hands on her green half apron before untying it and straightening her "Spice Barista Service" uniform shirt and tight, black jeans. "So tell me, how bad is it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Pay me ten bucks every time she says "_dirty_", will you?" She chuckled at that and waved me off before going to said table. I took my time getting back to my desk, knowing that Alice was probably having too much fun playing Hostess in my place. I took a tiny peek at my cell phone, and seeing as it was near my break, I went to the Ladies Room and pondered on my life while I took a refreshing pee all to myself. Things got so complicated- what were the odds that the one man I start to get friendly with comes to the restaurant I work at with a beautiful woman on his arm? It made me feel weak as a woman, not the strong, independent Bella I was use to being. I washed and dried my hands and hummed a little tune, and as I walked out of the restroom, Edward walked right past me. We both stopped in our tracks, as if either of us were really going to say anything, but I rolled my eyes and kept walking. His hand shot out and grabbed my wrsit and yanked me roughly back to him.

Our eyes connected for only a few seconds before I felt the hairs on my neck rise dramatically; was it okay to be stimulated by just the slightest touch? "Hey, Bella-" Riley called my name from somewhere, I couldn't pinpoint where exactly, but all I could see was his emerald eyes staring back at me. "Bella, hey!" I snatched my hand back from his and turned around to meet Riley before he had a bitch fit over my silence. "Where were you? Didn't you hear me screaming for you?" His baby face and tall frame always brought a smile to my face, not because I found him attractive, but because he reminded me so much of my half-brother, whom was currently thousands of miles away.

"I would hardly call _that _screaming." I rolled my eyes; I could never take him serious when he looked just like Ian, and with the fact that Riley was so soft spoken and fearful of his much smaller mother and younger sister. He was sort of meek, and I often took advantage of that. "And don't get your panties in a twist! What do you need?" I knew I shouldn't have talked to my company's accountant and PR person, but it was juts o easy to be blunt and sassy with him. We fought like true siblings, catching Lauren in the middle most times.

"Don't talk to me like that, Isabella, I _am _your boss." His sneer was fabricated and the hands-on-the-hips thing only made him look gay. "And I need you to send over a complementary bottle of wine to tables 12 to 25. All guests of my father's, and my mother wants you specially to deliver them." That was not what I wanted to hear- sure, those tables didn't include the balcony (seeing as Mr. Masen never put his guests on the balcony, for privacy and publicity reasons mainly), but I hated hand-delivering drinks. Did I look like a barista or the owner of this place? Those were the only two people that needed to hand out complementary items. I greeted, bade goodbye, and ushered guests. The rest was all malarkey.

"Fine, and you are not my boss!" I shook my finger his way and walked to the back of the cellar, where all of the very pricey bottles were kept for evenings like these. One by one, I served every VIP table with the same look but different words. If there were more men than women, I flirted and laughed cutely. If the majority was female, I made small feminine jokes and complimented shoes and bracelets. I would do anything to keep the wine flowing and my time with them go that much faster. By the time my shift was up, I was already out of my shoes and halfway out of my dress. That night, I wore think boy shorts and brought an extra shirt with me for the long ride home. I unzipped the side of it and let my skin air out as I played dead over my pedestal. "That long of a night?" Lauren teased as she swung by my desk.

I nodded silently and kept my eyes closed. Would some magical fairy befall on me tonight- it would drive me home, carry me up the stairs, take me a bath, and put me to sleep. "I am so exhausted, I feel like I'm going to fall asleep behind the wheel tonight." I was only slightly teasing- these past few days had weighed heavily upon me, like no other time before.

"What if I send Riley to drive you home? You guys can take his car and I'll just drive your car to pick him up when I'm done with the inventory?" My head perked at that; that would be so great, one less thing I would have to do tonight!

"That sounds so amazing, you don't even know! You do know you're the greatest, right?" Even if I felt bad that she had to check off and review our inventory of wine and spirits, I was happy to have some sort of relief tonight. I waited for him outside by his car, as to not draw the attention of the other employees; it was rumored that I received special treatment, seeing as I was best friends with the boss's daughter and one of the few comrades of Mr. Riley Masen himself. Seeing me driven home by Riley wouldn't have helped any, they would have made matters worse! "Hurry up, slow poke!" I muttered angrily in his direction, making him stop in his tracks and send me an irritated look. "Come on! I'm tired."

"And you don't think I am?" He growled back.

"You sit in front of a calculator and play Call of Duty on your downtime, Riley, so no- I don't think you have very much reason to be tired." I gestured down at my sore feet. "I, on the other hand, must smile and prance around in ridiculous shoes for an entire shift while I think about how much fun it would be to be Riley!" When he unlocked the doors on his kiosk, I whipped the passenger side open and plopped down in pure ecstasy- I wished I could afford real leather upholstery in my Prius.

"Someone's grouchy tonight." Riley grumbled, but I ignored it. He started the engine of his flashy sports car and pulled out the parking lot in a low, meek manner. If I had this kind of car, I would speed up and peel out any chance I got! "Is it because of a boy, hmm?"

A regretful smile graced my lips. "It always has to be about boys with you, doesn't it? No, its not because of a _boy_, but thanks, _dad_, for asking."

His eyebrows rose as he made a soft left turn. "Certainly touchy, though, you must admit. Maybe you should consider cutting down your hours." I pursed my lips at that; it wasn't that easy for me! My mother didn't own the restaurant, and I was riding in a swooped up little whip like this.

"I can't, not right now. I'm planning on looking for another apartment, maybe closer to UCSD." I was? Since when did I make that sort of plan? I suppose it had something to do with what happened tonight, and how stupid I was acting. "And closer I live, the more expensive it will be. Plus the fact that summer is almost here and I know Alice has so many plans." I rolled my eyes; she had an endless money supply while I tried to make every dime count. My dad was busting his ass to make sure my school tuition was paid, and my mother tried her best to send me care packages every month. Everything else was up to me- my food, clothing, and living was based upon my will to keep it going. "Athenadora graduated a few years back, so I know she'd be only too glad to soak up any hours I give her- which wont look too good in your mom's eyes. She knows I can be easily replaced." My eyebrows knitted together in concentration; sure, I could have lived off of student aide and government help, but I just couldn't take it. Perhaps it had something to do with my upbringing, I wasn't positive.

Riley chuckled. "My mom isn't going to replace you. Ms. Wallingford is true-hearted, I know she would give you any of the hours you omitted once you got straight again." I shook my head. I wasn't going to take the chance.

"I'm fine, really. Stop worrying about me- worry about the war that's about to begin between your girlfriend and your mother." His heavy sigh meant that he knew exactly what I was talking about. I mean, I loved Lauren, she was sweet and always honest with me. But I loved Jane like a second mother, well- not exactly, but she did take care of me and always fed me when I had no money to feed myself. My mom was in Australia, and my dad was all the way in Northern California, and I would first shoot myself in the foot or sell my hair to a wig shop before I would call him for help.

"You had to bring that up, didn't you?" Riley rolled his eyes and turned into the garage of my apartment- didn't he know he was not invited to use my private garage? He was supposed to use the public carports!

"Well, the tension is getting a little more obvious. What do you plan to do to get rid of it?" I was curious to see how Mr. Know-it-all was going to handle this sticky situation. We walked side by side up the stairs and to my third floor apartment in a quick silence.

He shrugged. "Maybe kill them both? Mind if I hide out in your garage for a few months, you know just until the after-murder air disperses?" I scoffed in his face and proceeded to laugh loudly at him while trying to open the door.

"You don't have the balls, Riley, and Lauren would haunt your ass after death- not to mention what voodoo shit your mom has in store for you. Plus, my garage is way too nice to let you stink up the place." I tossed my keys on the coffee table and switched on the top lights before Riley had a chance to complain about the lighting; it was a little known fact that Riley was horribly afraid of the dark, and for some reason Alice felt the need to tell me this the second Riley introduced himself to me. Maybe she didn't want me to scare him, seeing as I held no reservations about the dark? I wasn't sure, and never really approached him about it, anyway. "Better luck in your sister's playboy penthouse." And Alice did live like a playboy- came and went as she pleased, depended on hired help to restock her refrigerator and clean the bathroom, and brought any number of guys she wanted back to her penthouse whenever she wanted. That was her lifestyle, and she could afford it. All thanks to a little luck in the stock market, and her parents' monthly allowances.

"What a lame selection." He was bent over, checking out my DVD collection- well, one would say that if they weren't avid old western and romance lovers.

"Leave Clint Eastwood and Nicholas Sparks out of your dirty mouth!" My father was a huge Eastwood fan, and growing up that's the only cinema my dad and Billy Black ever watched when the game wasn't on. Nicholas Sparks was a man that could spin a tale of love like no other, why wouldn't he take up most of my movie collection? I had every book he ever wrote on my bookshelves in the spare bedroom, along with a gym bicycle machine I hardly ever used. I kept the spare bedroom pretty bare, hoping one day Ian would call and say he wanted to come live with me and leave Melbourne for good. But I had to face the fact that he loved being with our mom in Australia, but it was hard. He was my only sibling, and I loved the ground he walked on. "I'm gonna change real fast, okay? Find a good movie on the cable network if my movies aren't good enough for you."

I walked into my bedroom and quickly changed into shorts and a UCSD logo top before washing off my make up, all the while listening to Riley talk shit about my movies and TV remote. I purchased the plasma screen as a spur of the moment type of thing, but I hardly ever used it and so it was one of those "bad investment" deals on my part. Was it bad that I used Riley as a proxy for my own brother? Did that make me dysfunctional? I walked back into the living room fresh-faced and scouted the kitchen for any type of drink I had. Rosalie left a few bottles of wine and Emmett usually kept some beer in my fridge, where were they? "Lauren called, she's down the street." I rolled my eyes- they could not go more than an hour without each other, it was sickening at times!

"You're lucky she hasn't already zapped your collar for leaving the confines of her electrical fence; I suppose she is granting her favorite pet his own alone time for three seconds." I smiled when his face turned sour; I thought Lauren was badass and a smart woman for wrapping him around her finger, but it was weird when he listened to everything she said. They were like mother and son sometimes, and that was just a little freaky to me. Coming from an early household where my dad was the sole provider and set most of the rules, I really wasn't prepared for Lauren and Rosalie bossing their mean round like bitches.

But I got used to it. "Shut your mouth, Bella. You'll know the feeling when you finally get a guy- which may not be ever, seeing as you prefer watching other women receive their happy endings, instead of…" I was scrounging the spare bedroom when his voice died down at the knock of the door.

"Why do I need to go out and search so hard when I've got you, smoochie-poo?" I replied sarcastically, all sound suddenly muted when I heard my door open slowly. What the hell was wrong with Riley? He usually fired off insult after insult when I brought sarcasm into the mix! "You know, maybe Lauren and I can share ownership of you…" Words left me as I snatched the hiding bottle of Merlot and stumbled into the hallway, where Edward was standing livivd in the doorway. Riley was also dumbstruck, with a much taller man and his heaving chest right in front of him. I took a few rushed steps forward; this must have looked really bad to him, didn't it? "Yes, Edward?" I went for the brusque cold shoulder, much like the one he had given me at the restaurant. Sure, we weren't actually a couple (Lauren would have beat my ass if I ever tried anything with Riley) but Edward Cullen didn't know that. This could be used to my advantage!

"Who is he?" The angry man with wild bronze hair pointed to the skinnier blondie in my house.

I crossed my arms and challenged his look. "A friend." I answered levelly.

"Excuse him from your home immediately, Isabella, the _party _is over." He referred to the bottle of wine in my shaking hands; I put the wine on the kitchen counter and placed my hands on my hips. Since when did Edward have ownership over me? I wasn't his puppet. "Now, Isabella." And he took his first few steps into my apartment, a killer gleam in his green eyes. Why were they sharp emeralds now?

Riley cleared his throat and hopped in front of him, trying his hardest to shield me away from what he clearly thought was an intruder. Was Edward an intruder? He was invited in before, and it wasn't like we were strangers… but then again, that was before I realized I was one of the many girls he served breakfast to! "Sir, uh- I'm going to… I'm going to have to ask you to leave." It was almost comical how fearful he was… but this wasn't one of those moments you could laugh about. At least, not when Edward connected his fist with Riley's flawless ivory face


	5. Sweet Rapture

**A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series or anything affiliated with it.**

**Rated "M" for mature content.**

"Edward!" I screamed at him, shoving his chest hard with the complied anger I felt for him- how could he go from ignoring my existence at the restaurant to barging into my house like we were best friends? He didn't belong here, and I didn't want to look at him! "You are not welcome, get out!" I screamed like a ill-ridden banshee. His chest was heaving up and down like a madman still, and so still did he stand. My sights were exchanged to Riley- the poor guy was hunched over, clutching his face in utter pain. "Do you see what you've done? Do you see the assault you've just committed? Get out, get out, get out!" I was yelling so loud at him that I was surprised the cops weren't already called on us by offended neighbors.

"I'm- I'm fine, Bella. I'm okay." Riley spoke in a shaky, low tone; was he in that much pain and shock, or was it fear talking? If so, he needed to realize that Edward was the last person he needed to be afraid of!

"No, you're not okay!" I yelled down at Riley before swiveling on my heel and facing a calmer, yet all the same angry Edward. "Who do you think you are, storming into my house and hitting my friend? Just… get out!" I slapped his chest in anger, and repeated the motions for a few minutes in good measure. From the slightly unbuttoned dress shirt, I saw just a small portion of those mysterious scars he wore; well, I hoped beyond hope that my blows to his skin reopened every one of those scars! "Don't you understand? Get out!" I swung for his face in my maniacal tirade, but he snatched my wrist and held painfully away from his face. I whimpered at the awkward angle he was adjusting me to, but spent no time in swinging with my other hand. Again, my ministrations were blocked and deflected too easily.

"I'm sorry, Isabella, but please!" I tugged and pulled at his restraint. "Please allow me to explain myself! I was under the false impression that he was an intruder." My eyes were still lit with ornery, but what if what he said was true? I did kind of wig out on him, but how else was I supposed to react? Edward caught the calm go over me and immediately sunk the hook deeper. "We were not able to communicate at all earlier in the restaurant, and I only came to speak to you… but then there was this man, and you said you rarely have any visitors-"

"What's going on here?" Lauren's manly boom came from the front door, and when she caught sight of her crouching fiancé, she flung the leftover bag from her hands unto the floor and rushed to him like he was some bestowed pope. "Oh, baby, are you okay? What happened?" In a hurry, I yanked my wrists from his grip and turned to her. She surely thought I was a part of some disgusting abusive relationship, didn't she? I only prayed the Gods graced me and would keep her mouth shut about this occurrence in the workplace. "Bella, what the fuck happened?" Lauren's wild eyes and bouncing gaze made me take cautionary steps towards her.

"There was a small misunderstanding." I said slowly. "My neighbor," I gestured to Edward with a quick movement of my hand, "thought that Riley was… an intruder." The excuse sounded lame even to my own ears, but Lauren Mallory only spared Edward a fleeting glare before helping her fiancé into the small bathroom past me. "He's basically my boss, Edward!"

Edward searched my face for a few more seconds than necessary. "You previously stated that he was just a friend! What else is he to you, Isabella? What, your boyfriend?" His bombarding voice warned me about the storm brewing inside of him; who did this jerk think he was talking to? So what, he was a friend _and _practically a boss? I didn't regulate who he brought to his godforsaken house, he couldn't regulate mine! "What sort of boss shares company at one o clock in the morning, anyway?" Why was he using that accusing tone on me? I let out a frustrated howl and spun around to toss things around in my kitchen.

"Who I bring to my house and at what time of night is absolutely none of your concern!" I yelled angrily at him from across the kitchen counter that separated the kitchen and the living room. This man was beginning to frustrate me to no end! "Riley is both a friend and a boss, he's the manager of my floor! Is that okay with you, Edward? Is that _okay_? Does that pass your polygraph test?" I screamed before tossing a bowl and some silverware in my clean sink. Were those dishes even dirty? I wasn't sure, I was just picking shit up and throwing it around to make more noise and let out some fume. "You had no right!" I stomped my barefoot against the cold tile of the nook. "His nose is probably broken… do you even feel bad?" I sauntered around the counter and through the entryway of the living room to get up close to him. "Do you feel remorse for what you did?"

Edward slowly released a shallow sigh, as if I were trying his patience. Well, he wasn't a God or anything special, so he was going to have to listen to my heavy rain just as well as anyone else would! "Of course I feel remorse for my actions-"

"Liar!" I put my hand in his face and hoped that my accusing finger would make him go cross-eyed for the rest of this millennia. "I can see it on your face, you don't feel bad! Jesus, Edward, his poor fiancé is probably so worried in there… of all the people you choose to jab, it _had _to be Riley, didn't it?" I had plenty of cousins and male friends over before, but then that was before he and I got to know one another.

"Get your finger out of my face, Bella." Edward growled.

"Oh, you don't like that?" I asked sarcastically. "Riley doesn't like being socked in the face either!" But I put my finger lower, poking him right in his rock-hard chest. The more I jabbed my index finger into his pecs, the tenser he grew. "You. Big. Horrible, Demeaning. Belittling. Evil. Bully!" Because that was what he was, a mean bully. I was thoroughly exhausted, starting with work and then ending with this stupid drama scene! He was tensing and relaxing his fists beside me, but there was a rigid stance to him that told me he would first fall over before laying a finger on me. But I couldn't find it in me to stop arguing with him, it was addictive. And such a stress-reliever, too! "Are you proud of yourself, then? Riley is half your size, you may as well have hit me!" The words came out in a jumbled mess, and I didn't mean it like that… I just meant that the size difference was not impressive, and I only wanted to- to prove a point.

"You know I would never touch you in a way that was disrespectful." My mouth opened and closed a few times, as the conversation took a turn I didn't like. Why had I let myself lose this argument so fast?

"Do I know that, for sure? We've only known each other for a weeks, not even a full month." I crossed my arms defensively before cocking one hip to the side. "You've already barged in and assaulted one of my closest friends. What's the big difference between Riley and me?" I shrugged softly.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and copied my defensive stance of folded arms. "I would _never _hit a woman." He gritted through closed teeth.

"Yeah, well, prove it." I mentioned easily, but there was no logical way to prove something like that. Here I was, pushing every single one of his buttons, and all we exchanged were words, not bruises. Although I was very ready to chuck my porcelain plates at his head just a minute ago, I didn't yet have it in me to hurt a hair on his head. His immense intelligence of everything around him attracted me to him, of course, but in a situation like this, I hated it. He pulled me closer to him and held my face in his hands. "No!" I shook my head and put my hand over his mouth in an attempt to stop the force he was about to use. Men were _not _supposed to abuse the kiss just to end an argument! "We are finishing this argument!"

Edward pushed away my hands and took a few steps away from me, with his back turned to me. What, he was going to give me the silent treatment? But he wasn't dramatic about anything, just paced a few steps back and forth in a solid pattern. I refused to watch him and turned around to clean things in my kitchen that were already clean. "Why can't you just accept my apology? What more do you want from me?"

"Don't raise your voice at me!" I yelled back at him with a spitball of fire. This was just a shouting match, and my throat was screaming in protest at me for keep going. "An apology doesn't always make everything better. At least, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." I motioned to the closed bathroom door with my eyes. When he didn't budge, I growled under my breath and dragged him by his arm to my restroom. I pushed open the door without thinking and opened my mouth to announce the peace offering between Edward and Riley, but they had different plans. Riley, whom so very much reminded me of my half-brother, had Lauren against my bathroom counter with both of their pants down and very into what each other were doing. I squealed in disgust and shock and terror and… were there words for catching two of your shy, prudish friends in the act, on your bathroom counter? I felt Edward turn his gaze to me, studying my face very closely. I guess looking at me was better than seeing these two bunnies go at it like hormonal teenagers.

"Bella!" Lauren screamed and went to push her fiancé off of her, but the new sight was even more awkward and made the room feel very heavy with shame. Shame highlighted my cheeks, I should have knocked! She instantly covered herself with a hanging towel to her right, which was an expensive monogrammed towel my mom bought me for my sixteenth birthday. I shut my eyes tight. I would be throwing that memento away, because it no longer carried the memories of a free-spirited mother and my miraculous sweet sixteen held in Phoenix. When I looked at that burgundy Egyptian cotton material, I would see Lauren Mallory's vagina all over again. And that was not a mental image I ever wanted to conjure.

"We were just…" Riley began to explain what happened whilst he stuffed himself back into jeans and tucked his shirt in, but that was hopeless. I got it, they were two lovebirds in heat, but seriously- in my house, without locking the door? While my _neighbor _and I were still in the middle of an argument? I turned shortly thereafter and closed the door behind me; they had to know I wasn't angry, just very embarrassed by having to witness it. I felt bad for not easing their conscience, but it was a comprising position… it wasn't like _that _was the best time to start settling explanations. My head hung low as I went back into the kitchen and set the sink's faucet on low pressure and slowly washed the few dishes scattered in the carrier. From the corner of my eye, I saw that Edward leaned his lower body against the back of my brown hand-me-down couch from my father, and I had to wonder why. Why didn't he leave, even after my petty arguments with him, my rude finger pointing, and my two friends having sex in my open-doored bathroom?

"Stop staring at me." I spoke with my eyes downcast. He didn't need to be here.

"Why can I not stare at you?" Was his cheeky rebuttal.

I pierced him with an evil glare. "Because I don't like to be stared at!" But I noticed my tone escalating, so I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. Just the day before, I was this little meek girl in front of him. Now, I was saucy and angry. He affected me so greatly, so quickly. It was dynamic.

"You did not mind it when you spent the evening in my home." I hated the way he made it sound- I didn't even spend the night with him. We shared a glass of wine and he walked me upstairs in less than an hour. And his staring wasn't so unsettling like it was now. "And now there are more things you would prefer me not to do, am I no right, Isabella?" I bit my lip, trying not to be cheeky and immature with him. I wanted to finish this argument, so I was getting what I wanted.

"What, like _assault _my friend? Yeah, sorry, Edward, I just have all of these crazy boundaries!" Sarcasm was the lowest form of wit, I knew that, but he was so easy to puncture with wordplay. He hated the sarcastic part of me, but sometimes it was all-consuming. I scrubbed the plastic blue bowl beneath my soapy hands, and imagined it was the dirty blood of Riley's on Edward's hands. This night needed to go away somewhere far, it needed to disappear out of sight and never resurface! Edward walked towards me and leaned his large palms on the counter.

"You refuse to kiss me. Is that because _he _is here?" I rolled my eyes at his antics. Was he just a tad bit… jealous? I felt like reassuring him that Riley was nothing more than a big brother figure, but maybe he needed a little bit of torture. "You refuse to embrace me, you have rejected my touch!"

"That has nothing to do with the fact that Riley's here, Edward! It's because you just proved how uncontrollable you are! Did you see me rampaging when that girl was in your room when I stopped by to say hello?" I slammed the bowl in the sud water, effectively splashing the abdomen of my night outfit. "I didn't knock the Elizabeth bitch out when she sauntered right past me, with you so doting on her arm!" Seriously, where was this language coming from? Since when did I ever consider "knocking" someone out? And why did I call that simple woman a bitch? I hating being referred to as a female dog, why would I go and do it to someone else? "I didn't slam her pretty little face into the glass table when she talked down on me like I was lower than shit! And did you see me once falter when you pretended to not even know me?" My voice started to shake as the night's events wore down on me. I really liked this guy, but the things he was doing made it seem like he very little interest in me at all.

This was all wrong, this was not how I wanted to start things with Edward! I pushed back the burning tears that threatened to surface; he would probably hate me if I went all "emotional female" on him. "Do not call her a bitch, Isabella, that is not appropriate language, especially if the woman is a near stranger to you."

"Oh, so now you're _defending _her?" I twisted my head in an odd angle to study him closer. Was he really ready to get hit with a wet dish? What kind of idiot defends the nasty woman that ruined the night? "You know what, why don't you go to her house and start all of this shit over there? I'm sure she'd love to see this side of Charming Edward!" I tossed the clean forks and spoons in the drainer. Why didn't I just throw this stuff in the dishwasher and let the machine worry about it? Maybe this was just a distraction for me, something to do while I waited for everyone to leave me alone in solitude. "You and your _bitch _can live happily ever after, just leave me out of it! I don't want anything to do with you anymore-"

"Elizabeth is my sister." Those words stopped me in my tracks. His sister? But then why… the pieces started fitting together; with her fiancé showing him, her words about Edward "canceling for the third time", and the pricey dinner plate Elizabeth and the third party shared. A part of me wanted to take back those words, but I was just too proud. He made Elizabeth seem like his girl, or side woman, or just a fuck buddy. How was I supposed to know her ignorance of his sex appeal and his distant body gestures towards her was the type of brother-sister relationship they had? When Ian and I were together, we rough-housed and horse played, never letting an intense second get to us. Even Alice and Riley were like that in their own way, where light insults and his bear hugs were always being thrown around. But Edward and Elizabeth seemed so… stuck-up around one another, at least Elizabeth came off prickly and untouchable in so many different ways. "Tonight was important to her, she has attempted on many different occasions to set up a meeting between her fiancé and I. Elizabeth takes love as attention, and there was not enough consideration put in her evening, she was not going to feel the love that I do have for her. Hence why introducing you was not an idea that would end well."

I nodded slowly, understanding what he meant but not liking it at all. That wasn't fair, he had to understand where I was coming from! "You didn't need to introduce me, but you could have at least acted like I existed." Why was my voice so weak? It sounded so girly and hurt, even to my own ears. Edward walked around the marble counter and forced me to turn to him.

"You were in your workplace, I did not want you to feel as though I was forcing myself upon you too strongly. I understand that you like your distance and your very own space." At least I did, before I met this guy. Now, I wanted him all over my space and not very distant at all. Like, from here to fridge distant. What he said made perfect sense, and it was probably what I wanted from him in the first place, but couldn't he be less attentive to what I _wanted_? Didn't he know that the greatest things happened in ponderousness? Well, not regarding the whole Riley thing. That did not count!

"I'm sorry for being such an ass to you tonight, even if you were in the wrong." I reminded him stiffly. "And I'm sorry for screaming at you." I never apologized first, whether it be in relationships or a fight in the middle of a crowded café. "Sorry" never came easy for me, they were the biggest pills to swallow.

Edward's face lightened considerably when I intertwined our finger together and held his hands close to me. He liked physical contact, I noted. "There is nothing to apologize for." How many times had he told me that one? It was like making a fool out of myself came so easy around him. "You are perfect, Bella, everything you do can always be accounted for." I chuckled at that load of crap; I was the image of imperfection, with my clumsiness, spontaneous potty mouth, and the fact that I couldn't shake my butt on a dance floor if shaking it meant life or death to me. "May I kiss you now?" A small smile crept over my face as I nodded excitedly. I loved kissing him, well, until he… I blushed at the thought and leaned into his sweet rapture. But he did again, his tongue completely invaded my privacy like always. Sometimes I found it provocative, other times I found it completely gross. It wasn't that he was a bad kisser, it was just that he… loved the feeling of my mouth against his tongue, I guess. To surface the wandering thing, I bit down lightly and accepted a husky groan from his mouth. Edward pulled away as I expected, but kept my face in his hands. "I adore your kissing antics, Bella, they're spicy and surprising, just like you."

"Are calling me spicy because of that Latino grandpa I admitted having, or are you referring to my biting you?" I teased him softly with my erotica words. There was another thing I noted, just _talking _about sexy actions turned him on. He captured my lips once more, but this time I refused to open my mouth, and just pecked at his lips harshly. Third note, he didn't like being rough with me, but he definitely loved it when I was rough with him.

"Hey, uh…" At Riley's voice, I pulled away from Edward and wiped me mouth clean with the back of my hand. "We're heading out, I have this uh, thing in the morning. See you tomorrow?" But they didn't wait for me to answer, instead dashed out of the house and closed the door softly behind them.

I just hoped to never see my real brother in that kind of position.


	6. Lemme See

**A/N: Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series or anything affiliated with it.**

**Rated "M" for mature content. **

**ARTIST OF THE WEEK- Usher. The song I used is called "Let Me See", which SOOO fit's the bill on this update : ). Shout out to Usher's stepson that passed away last month, I've kept him in my prayers.**

Mrs. Masen closed her restaurant down for seven days straight every year in July, so that she could fully celebrate the Fourth of July with her family, without the stress of a company and the constant buzz of problems that happened on a daily basis- most of her employees appreciated the time off for the holiday, but then there ones like me. I needed this job to pay for my things, seeing as financial aide didn't cut it. There was rent, utilities, my car payment, car insurance, my once a month yoga & spa session at "Lala Le Calm", Vogue & Oprah magazine subscriptions, credit card bills, my tiny Unicef contribution, food… it was a lot of shit to handle, but the government aide helped pay for the bare necessities and school things, whilst my father sent me some money when he could and Spice paid for the rest of my luxuries. Even if there wasn't much spending money left at the end of the month, I loved the small life I made for myself, and I savored the moments when I was able to afford to send money to my mom. It made me feel grown and mature, like I was my own person… even if I was still trying to figure this all out.

Seven days of no pay vacation was a blow to my bank account, but I could make it work… last year I busied myself with assistant work for Rosalie's cousins at the winery they owned; my small desk was in a room with no air-conditioner and I was often sent to do the bitch work, but it was more money that I made in a month at Spice. Needless to say the pay wasn't worth it, but it was a small space filler. This year, I decided to just relax and enjoy my time off with some tiny corners cut. No magazines or spa treatment this month, but there were things I could do without. I needed a roof, a car, food- anything other was a luxury! I exited out of the Dotcom app on my cell phone- shit, my cell phone bill!

My eyes watered at the though of losing my cellie- it was a security blanket, and how would I explain it to my to either one of my parents if they tried to contact me when it got shut off? My bill was due tomorrow evening, and I didn't have two hundred dollars to just drop on a cell phone bill. Thankfully, a mistake was made in my billing account with the cable company- where I was charged for over ten adult movies, they credited me two months free of basic cable channels as a bribe not ot swithc over to their competitor. I considered asking Rosalie to spot me the money, but I just hated asking her for anything. She was so kind and giving, I didn't want to even start to take advantage of her like that! And Alice wouldn't be back in town until Sunday… god, but I did love to have my cell phone.

A text from Edward popped up. It made my heart race, seeing as he and I had been exchanging some pretty… _racy _text messages lately. "Will you tell me what would transpire if I were there beside you?" He could make Mr. Roger's proper English sound sexy, it was just the way he was.

I gnawed on my lower lip. Would it be okay to ask him for the money? We had been hooking up lately, and I was no gold digger, but my time was valuable. He wasn't some broke joke, and I wasn't some cheap hoe giving her kisses away like free samplers at Costco. "You might have known the color of my panties." It was a lie, but that kind of stuff turned him on. Touch and sexy talk turned his senses on like crazy, and I intended to use that to my advantage.

"What color are they, Bella? I imagine stain. Something pink, perhaps?" He was half right, they were a soft pink- but not satin, I hated the way they chafed after a long shift at work. I stuck to cotton, sometimes lace. Nothing overly fancy. "Would you be interested in sending a picture? I can make it worth your while." My stomach dropped; he wanted me to take a pic of my drawers and send it all the way to China? He left for business a few days ago, when I conveniently _forgot _to tell him I would be getting a week off of work. Was it wrong of me to omit that information? He was a great guy, with some rough edges, but there were parts of him that I didn't find tempting. Like his clinginess or his over-bearing attitude- it was unsettling, but mostly bearable.

"Oh yeah? Is this one of those I'll-show-you-mine-if-you-show-me-yours games? Be careful, I don't always play fair : )." I was only trying to make this less awkward for me, I didn't mean to antagonize him further.

"Your request to see any part of my body will never be declined. As I have said before, if you agree, I can make this worth your time." Worth my time? Why was he talking to me like this was a business deal? He said he would show me any body part… did that include his chest? A few months before, he allowed me to see just a glimpse when we had the whole Elizabeth misunderstanding. There were deep scratches, and I wanted to see them closely in a picture. What better way than to receive a media file and be able to stare as long as I wanted, as freely as I pleased? I considered trading a picture for my cell phone, but my fingers refused to type that message.

They had their own mission. "A picture of my undies for a picture of your sexy ass chest." Even if he hated my potty mouth, he loved to hear a compliment about himself… no matter how much he outwardly denied it. I opened a new draft. "And there had better not be any shirt action happening. I'm baring all on my end : )))))))." Well, not really, but he got my point.

Instantly, a picture of his chest popped up on my device. I almost choked on the soda I was sipping from when my Smartphone expanded the image and his pecs and abs completely took up my screen; God seriously blessed this man! The lighting in the picture only showed a few of his scars, with very little detail at all. But it was enough to show me I wasn't crazy- I hadn't just imagined those marks on his skin. Where were they from and how old were they? Was he not proud of them? He almost never went shirtless in front of me, and even if we were still on a _friend _level, I had lots of guy friends that never minded going topless in my company. "Is there another favor I can serve you? You do understand how cherished your photo will be, correct? It will be for my eyes only, Isabella, I promise you." Edward was trying his hardest to convince me, but I was already decided. A deal was a deal, right?

With a small sigh, I threw the duvet off of my body and angled my phone over the triangle of my womanhood. Was this healthy, picture sharing? Or was it as nasty as it felt? I mean, we weren't even a couple yet and here I was! Friends weren't supposed to have pictures of friend's vaginas! "I trust you, babe. But if I see this all over Dotcom, kiss that scratch-less Mercedes goodbye! xoxo." I did like him, enough to trust him and our mutual confidentiality, but there was a small fear that my dignity would be shot by something like this. I guess… I guess it was impossible for someone to even identify me as the owner of the vagina in this picture. The fact quelled my fears, but when he didn't reply after a few minutes I grew panicked. Did he think my undies and/or vagina looked ugly, or did he just not believe that was me in the picture? It severely disappointed me that he would not like it… I mean, it was bad-looking? I wouldn't know, I hadn't ever sent a pic like that out. Five minutes later, his reply popped up. "Beautiful, Isabella. I had guilty, impure thoughts that I had to quell. You have no idea the power you reign over me." So, he just masturbated to a faceless shot of my body? A certain brave part of me kicked in and made me pull my laptop up, totally alienating my cell phone for once. I pulled the webcam program up and set the laptop at the end of my bed- it was now or never, risk or no result, right? So I set the timer to go odd in sixty seconds and situated myself on my hands and knees, ass facing the camera lens.

"_You've been saying all night long_

_That you can't wait to get me home._

_What you gonna do to me?_

_Don't talk about it, be about it._

_Let me see, let me see, let me see."_

I assumed this angle would have a good view of my behind and body, without showing my face or any real feature that could distinguish me. I pulled my comfortable panties up so that they hugged the curves of my bum in a more form-fitting fashion and slipped my loose t-shirt off. I angled my head to allow the loose curls of my bed-head hair to flow down the back of my neck and bare spine. Even if my bra did not match my panties, I was almost sure he didn't mind it. After the picture, I sent the text message that changed a lot between us. "Check your email, this one is going to cost you my phone bill ; ). By the way, do girls look like that in China?" I quickly emailed him the picture, making certain that I CC'd it to no one else, and let the cyber world do it's job. The burning sensation refused to leave as I sat there and awaited his reply, so I hopped in the shower and cooled down my heated skin and made some iced tea when I got out.

I cradled my head in my hands at the kitchen counter- what was I thinking? He probably thought I was either desperate or an easy hoe, neither of those true or wanted as a reputation!

**A/N: I think we've all been in that situation- you do something without really thinking and wait in torture until you get your response! **

**PURE **_**torture **_**to be in that moment. **


	7. Worth A Thousand Words Or Dollars?

**A/N: Yes, lovelies, I am back ; ). **

**From Edward: 111-948-3665 **_Bella, what's your Chase account number? You put me on the account, right?_

The text message was being read and reread beneath my fingertips; it was maybe fifteen minutes after my picture was finally sent that he replied with this message. He took my offer serious? He was going to actually _pay _for a kind of picture that he could probably get off of the internet for free? I contemplated replying to him; the other week he convinced me to put his name with my account so that when he was away or did not have the time, he could deposit money in my account and I could pay his bills or handle a financial need of his. I trusted him with my information, and it wasn't like I had a whole lot of money or good credit for someone to take anyway. I owed in school loans and one very expensive bill at Blockbuster (before they all foreclosed), but that was it. He first offered to put me on his account, but he was dealing with a more substantial amount of dough than I was- he was in the six figures monthly, I didn't want the responsibility of that much capital in my hands. What if someone stole the card from my purse and ran up a bill? What if the local receipt-thief picks up on the tab I carelessly throw away in my trashcans after paying bills? Yeah, all those possibilities were more stress than anything. And that money grew interest in my account, I liked being so responsible. So far, I only paid two rent bills and one cleaning lady, but it still felt good to help him out.

**Me: 111-566-3849**. _Yes, of course you're on the account! I already paid your Monterey mortgage and your rent & Delia, though. You sent the money last Monday, Babe._ I did not want to come off strong, as if I was totally sure this capital for truly for me or not, but I already paid his maid and his monthly bills. I had to be the reason for him asking about my account number, right?

**Edward: 111-948-3665 **_Your cell phone needs to be paid. I received the most wonderful picture, with a fantastic view. And not to mention you take care of my finances. Consider it done, love. _He was great at making this less than awkward for me, he made it to seem like it was just a picture of a scenic route I took while on a walk. He was getting a little braver with "pet names" and such, but i liked it. It was nice when Edward treated me more like a human and less like a goddess on a golden pedestal. Those expectations were crazy and outright ludicrous! I didn't want to be perfect, but it seemed like I could do no wrong in Ed's eyes. An hour later, the money deposit was confirmed on my online account preview; I needed to know that he was for real before I explained myself.

**Me: 111-566-3849** _Thanks, babe, you're the best! :) _

He didn't reply back, but I checked the time and it showed the wee hours of the morning in Beijing, so I tossed everything aside and laid down under the covers of my AC apartment. There was a slight giddiness to my nature, where it felt nice to be noticed as sexy and alluring, even taken care of. But there was a dampening part, where I felt like a cheap whore selling her XXX rated pics for cell phone money. Work was slow the next day, and I was just about to collapse in exhaustion when I noticed the brown package resting next to my front door. It was light and hollow as I flipped it around in my hands before locking my front door and kicking off my high heels. I plopped down on the velvety sofa before ripping the UPS packaging, only to get to another box- but this one was a soft lavender pink, with the name "Julia's Boutique" inscribed with silver writing on top. Who was this from? I was a little old for secret admirers. Curiosity got the best of me as I carefully separated the top of the box and gasped at the contents. The flimsy, light as a feather negligee looked to only cover my crotch- it was all lace, the same soft pink Edward had described before. I hooked each strap on an index finger and brought it up for better inspection.

Was I even going to fit into this? What was I thinking, no! I was _never _going to put this on! If the purchaser of this was indeed not Edward, I certainly needed to be careful about the packages I picked up outside of my apartment. I needed to stop thinking everything was mine! A small note fell onto my lap_: Lovely Bella, there is an all-expense paid shopping trip awaiting your decision. Wear this and send me another one of those pictures, with your rear out and hips pushed up. Always yours, Edward A. Cullen_. The note had my jaw rolling around on the floor. He was offering me a shopping trip, and all I had to do was take a picture? Of course, it was a very precarious and... naughty angle, but it was just one media file. Surely he could pay for the real thing at a local brothel for a lot cheaper? I mean, he was in freaking China for God's sake! Weren't whores dime a dozen over there? Maybe it was the thickness and color of my body that he liked, because it obviously wasn't my eyes or smile he was trying to capture here. I put the package aside and dialed Rosalie's number with shaky fingers. "Hello." Rosalie was slightly monotonous as she answered her iPhone.

"Hey, Rose, it's Bella." She was still stuck in the nineties; seeing as she never checked her caller ID and assumed she was still using a landline. Hell, even my house phone has caller ID!

"Oh, hey." Her voice grew considerably lighter. "What are you up to?"

"I'm up to nothing, relaxing at my house after a long day. You?" I was trying to keep the conversation casual, seeing as I wasn't even sure if I should tell her about the whole picture scandal anyway.

Rosalie sighed heavily and a small sound of shuffled papers sounded. "Remember how I told you my brother left to help my parents collect their marriage documents and my mom's birth certificate on Tuesday?" I nodded through the phone and urged her to continue. "Well, now the government officials are threatening to confiscate the documents and withdraw her visa!" Her mother, Esme, was a Hungarian-bred female, giving Rose all of the fiery and explosive sex appeal and raw beauty she owned. Carlisle had Hungarian/Polish roots but grew up in the Pacific Northwest, Washington, in fact. They met while he was visiting relatives, and he married her there and brought her to the United States with a visa before marrying her again. But recently, a flaw was in the system and more documentation was needed for a visa renewal for Esme Hale.

"Has your dad or Emmett tried to contact the US Embassy about it?" I would be banging on the embassy's door if I were them, there was no way in hell I would let my mother/wife stay there against her will. "Why didn't your mom just get her papers registered here in the United States? She's been here for like, thirty years!" Since she was already married to Carlisle, she had an obligation to be here with him in the USA.

Another heavy sigh followed. "Because my mom didn't want to "lose" her roots, and she still wanted to be able to claim citizenship in Hungaria, when her parents passed down their property to her. And papers take a lot of money and time, but as much as my mom loves it here, she still thinks citizenship here is like losing her true roots. I don't know, my mom's insufferable." I really did feel bad for her family. Esme was everything to them, she was the super glue that kept the entire family functioning on a daily basis. Emmett couldn't find it in his heart to leave home, even at 26, because the separation of himself with his parents was too great. "From what Emmett texted me last night, the treasury representative and many clerical associates have asked for money."

"Bribery?" I gasped. How much more crooked could someone get, to make someone pay money for a debt they did not owe? There was a certain responsibility gov. officials held, and bribery for one's freedom was just so crooked!

"Something like that. And it's not just them, the cops pull you over and ask for money to let you go! I had a conversation with my papa last night and tried to convince him to fight it out with the government, but he is dead set on compromising and feeding the greedy bastards the capital they want." If there was one thing Rose strongly believed in, it was justice. She thought that everything should be righteous and fair, including governments and businesses. Going against the grain of what she held as a morale made her ornery and bomb-like.

"How much are we talking?" I wanted to know a solid figure- I mean, at what standard did they base her USA freedom at?

Rosalie cleared her throat. "Fifteen thousand dollars for her birth certificate and complete release of her passport. They haven't given a price for their marriage license, but I'm sure they're going to be ridiculous about it. I mean, yeah we're in a comfortable lifestyle, but with taxes coming soon and all three flights back to the United States, then the expensive, worthless ass lawyer meetings? The Records of History charged them 80 American dollars to get copies of the original documents a piece! They really want an extra fifteen thousand dollars?" Rosalie let out a shaky breath as she tried to regain her composure.

"Calm down, Rosalie, don't get yourself all worked up." I tried to soothe her already fiery temper, because these kinds of problems usually made her go in a destructively angry rampage, or an insatiable crying fit. "Can your parents afford it?" I began to think about the different ways to help come up with that kind of money. I mean, Rosalie was beautiful but I didn't see her hooking it or stripping anytime soon. "Besides the note Hungaria wants, what more would you owe?"

Rosalie sounded like she was in tears as more papers ruffled in the background. "I've just reviewed our sales, and it's enough to cover the next season's expenses and employee pay. But there's our estates mortgage," I didn't know the Hales hawked their house! "my new semester at UCSD needs to be paid, my brother's Rolls Royce car payment which he got on my dad's credit, and whatever money I can send to them. I'm sure my dad can withdraw the fifteen K from an account of Emmett's, but there is no way my brother is going to afford that and afford his car... I mean, our basic necessitates like phone bills, credit card bills, electricity, food is covered with the vineyard's retail. But it's everything else... I think I'm going to drop out of the school this semester, there's just no money." And it was kind of funny, I just always assumed the Hale's bank account was bottomless! I was working an odd hour, part time job and since I was on my own, I qualified for a great sum of financial aide in college. But Rosalie paid for her schooling, and was even in graduate school now. She needed to stay in school, I would try my everything to make sure she did!

"That's nonsense, Rosalie. There's got to be a way we can make this money." We were great friends, no matter if she was rich or broke, I didn't care. She helped me out when I first got here, I would help her when she was in need! Even if Edward had only paid a hundred and something cell phone bill and offered a shopping day, I knew I could push him for more. But would that be greedy of me? A part of me was flabbergasted that I would even consider using my body as a bartering tool, but if it came down to letting Rosalie stress that her mother would be held in a foreign country against her will or doing one stupid little photo, I was one hundred percent with her.

And when she mentioned "one of Emmett's accounts", I knew she meant his savings account. A Savings account was for schooling and deathly emergencies, not to pay a nasty gov. official for papers. "Absolutely not, Bella! I am not letting you share this burden of debt and money issues with me. You're struggling to maintain as it is, I refuse to let you stress over this. Anyway, tell me- what were you calling for?" It wasn't like I just forgot what I was calling for, it was just... I wasn't in the right position to come to her with my problem anymore. I could handle it.

"Oh, nothing. Just called to chat you up." Rosalie gave a disbelieving scoff but when I asked how her American Bulldog puppies were, she went into a hazy rant about their eye color, fur color, eating habits... through most of it, I would give a response of "aww" when it was appropriate. She would never sell her puppies, seeing as those four animals were her saviors right now. But it would be good profit! "Have you considered... charging a re-homing fee to four lucky new American Bulldog owners?"

Rosalie scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Bella, I'm not some lunatic dog breeder... I didn't even want Eedy having babies in the first place, litters take years away from dogs' lives!" I guess it was sort of inevitable for her girl Eedy and Emmett's boy King to mate, seeing as they were both pure bred and in heat at the same time.

"Yeah, but it was natures roll. Now, don't you think you might be able to take just a little advantage of that? I mean, you don't have to sell all of them. Maybe one or two? Or just the females?" Rosalie didn't believe in neutering animals, especially if they were female, but maybe that was all in good gesture? She needed thousands, these dogs could be worth that much.

"Yeah, I did think about it some last night. I mean, I rolled it over and over again in my head. Two boys, two girls, eleven days old. They won't be able to sell until another month or so, anyway. I've... already named all of them. The two girls are Patra and Tabby; the boys are Gyro and Clark." I rolled my eyes at her dog-loving ways. It was either San Diego education, or "Gyro" and "Clark". Where did she come up with these names anyway? I understood "Patra", she had been waiting to name another new pet Cleopatra for a long time. But "Tabby", wasn't that more of an orange cat's name instead? And Gyro- no animal should have to be named after a Greek food! "And before you make fun of those names, shut up! Tabby & Patra are a long time coming, Emmett requested that at least one of the pups be named after something "great" in Greek, and Clark... well, he has these black outlines around his eyes and he acts all brave and such like Superman, so I named him after Superman's secret identity, Clark Kent."

"Okay, just remind me to never let you name any of my kids, alright?" Poor future kids of Rosalie's; I just hoped she would spare them names like Blanket & Pilot, or Apple. She wasn't that dense, I hoped. "If you really are so against selling them, at least consider selling some of your household items? Like those old paintings in your mom's closet, or your great grandparent's utility machines that are no use anymore? What about the two four wheelers in the shed, and the spare trailers & hitches stacked in the garage? It was nice having them just in case as second and third string options, but you have to start cutting down & try to get some money in your bank."

"You're not one to preach, Isabella, you work on an odd-schedule shift half of the week and you still try to squeeze in luxuries! Unnecessary ones, at that!" Her tone was accusing, probably because she had no real response to the offer I was putting out there. Riley was just complaining the other day about wanting to be more "outdoor-sy" with Lauren; how much better could a deal be, with two matching ATVs and belonging trailers? There was at least four thousand dollars, low-balling it! Imagine if she sold her extra two pickup trucks in the backyard and junked all of the scrap metal/aluminum the neighbors left in the three acres they sold to the Hales back in '98? She could be sitting on another eight thousand, easily. "I'm sorry for being snappy. But my mom loves those paintings dearly, and my dad has kept those old machines for a reason. I probably wouldn't mind letting go of the four-wheeler's, and Tyson is scrapping the metal from the Gordon's old estate already. I need at least twelve thousand dollars by next Tuesday." I flinched at the short deadline we were faced with. I was sure I could get Riley to make the purchase for that price, but having Rosalie part with anything else anytime soon? Not so much luck. "I've got to have the mortgage payment in the bank's hand, I don't want them threatening foreclosure, and I need to pay my brother's car payment and insurance. I've already skipped last month's payment. Like I said, he's given everything to my mom and dad so that they would have the money upfront."

I sighed. "Rose, sell the dogs. I can sell that ATV package for at least four thousand dollars, but those pups can go for two grand a piece, no papers no shots, just as they are. That's the twelve thousand, and you can keep the property and avoid getting Emmett's car repossessed."

She was dead silent as she processed how easy I made that sound. "What if I sell the two girls and return the two new pairs of Christian Louboutins I just purchased? That's like, almost six grand." What was it about these doggies? She would rather give up her favorite designer name brand shoes than get rid of them? "And for the rest of it, I can take some sort of loan out-"

"Who's going to give you a loan, Rosalie? Your name is on the property, your brother's car is on your dad's credit with the estate as relevance? Both of those payments are two months late. I... can come up with the rest of it." Wait, how exactly was I going to come across two thousand dollars again? "Just sell those puppies! I'll send you the number of Riley Masen, the guys that's interested in the four wheelers, I'll meet you on Sunday and I promise to have the money with me, okay?"

Rosalie spluttered. "What... no! There is no way you can just come upon that sort of money, unless you're in some risky business." The dangerous tone her voice reached made me gulp. "Which you had better not be!"

"Chill, Rose! I'm not... I swear!" I inserted some nervous laughter to calm her already stimulated nerves. "I'm a waitress- I know how to act to gain the sort of tips and notes to make ends meet. And… I have a friend that is going to pay me to- to, um," I hadn't thought of an excuse for all of the money yet, "to walk his dog." Seriously, I was going to explain thousands of dollars off of dog walking? I cursed myself for the stupid lie.

Rosalie cleared her throat. "Thanks but no thanks, Bellsie. Dog-walking income isn't the kind I need for this situation, and I know how much you dislike animals. Whatever you're making right now, keep for yourself. I can figure the rest out, just don't worry, okay?" Did she truly expect me to not worry about her? She was dealing with a financial crisis all alone, with no grueling parents or math-wise brother to help her add things up and subtract things they could temporarily go without. "Listen, I have to go right now. Call me later, alright?" We said our quick goodbyes and hung up.

I took a deep breath and released the air slowly out of my nostrils, trying not to give in to the dizzy sensation I was getting. Would he pay twelve thousand dollars to see me in a skimpy outfit? I sure hoped he would. So, I grabbed my phone and inserted his cell number before drafting my first text. _Edward, I've fallen on a difficult circumstance. This next photo is going to cost you more than you probably want to spend. Twelve thousand dollars in exchange for the picture, taken from any angle you please._ I didn't want to sound too cheesy "sensual" nor did I want to come off as professional. This wasn't a business deal, nor was I sleazy hooker prepping her latest John on her new prices in the back alley of a motel.

**Edward:** **111-948-3665 **_You have a deal, Isabella. In light of your new price, I would like to change my offer. I want a picture of your knees spread apart, with your face completely exposed to the camera. Do we still have a deal?_

My heart sank a little and there was a warm, gushy feeling that started to pool in my lower stomach. He wanted to spread my legs for the picture? I mean sure, he wouldn't necessarily see my vagina… but he wanted me to show my face, too? There was no way I could ever deny taking this picture now! The last one could have been any size five brunette in the Pomona area… but now he wanted a shot with my identity fully revealed? I could see where the stakes were higher for him, as well. Twelve thousand dollars? If I were him, I would have sent my ass packing asking for that sort of cash upfront! But I guessed in a sick, twisted way he cared for me- and caring for me came with a price.

A price he was more than willing to pay, with the right incentive.

**Me: 111-566-3849 **_We have a deal._

**A/N: review, review, review.**


	8. Middle Class Kicking Ass

**A/N: Yes, lovelies, I am back ; ). **

I slipped into the piece, well more like _squeezed _in, before staring at myself in the mirror and turning side to side to spot every imperfection on my body. I picked my cell phone up and clicked onto his phone contact before sending a very short message. It started different ways, from angry remarks about him buying me a size too small to teary sentences regarding my deepest insecurities. In the end, I erased everything and sent_: I look fat in this_. His instant reply made me smile.

**From Edward: 111-948-3665 **

_Bella, you look beautiful with anything on. You have curves, a thick figure, and are well-endowed. Please don't torture me any longer, take the picture._

Well, he was about the only one that thought I was still beautiful… but despite my insecurities, I poured myself a glass of wine and chugged it back like it was Kool-Aide. One day, I was either going to look back on this ordeal and laugh, or break down in tears. Where was this path leading me to? Did it bring Edward and I closer, or was it tearing us apart? Was I degrading myself with pictures and accepting money in turn for it? Once I stood up from my sitting position, I felt all of the bubbly white wine slosh in my head; it gave me just the tiniest hint of courage, and so I opened my laptop and clicked on the webcam icon. I was glad we weren't web chatting or doing this live, that would be the ultimate torture. This gave me the opportunity to delete the ugly ones and play around with the lighting on the keepers. The first picture I took was angled wrong, but by the fifth try, I got the exact position and angle that would give him what he wanted but wouldn't show any slip of attire. The last thing I wanted was a picture out there showing part of my vagina lip! I considered calling Rosalie to check with her if this was the right thing to do, but I kind of knew what she'd say.

On a regular day, she would coax me into venturing out of my "safety zone" way of life. But this was a special occasion, and she would be completely against my decision because it was for her. So I picked the picture where my eyes were downcast, legs spread open, and head held high. He wanted details of my face to show up, probably to prove authenticity, and so I gave that to him. I just couldn't find it in me to look at the camera or even smile… this was wrong, I knew it was, but there was no other way to meet ends and there was a slim chance of turning back now. Without another thought, I attached the picture and carefully typed his name into my email. No message or subject this time, I wanted to let him know that this was strictly business, and so it was sent without another second of hesitation. To fight the urge of trying to retract the already sent email, I shut my laptop angrily and threw my self back onto the pillows.

Three words kept playing over in my head. _This is wrong_. This _was _wrong- this was wrong and I knew it.

**Next Day- **

"Bella…" Alice began softly, her voice dying out as her blue eyes went back and forth across her porcelain plate. I didn't visit her house that often, but when I did she made Chef Lumbra wait on us hand and foot- no meal or dessert was ever out of our realm of possibilities. I sliced into my crepe, dripping with nutella and strawberry glaze, as she considered her next sentence. I knew it was a lot to put on somebody- it made me feel nasty and cheap every time I thought about it. "That's really different, nothing I would have ever expected from you." She finished in an odd tone. Of course she didn't expect something like this from me, it was illegal!

I didn't do illegal things, my dad was a police officer my entire childhood and I would never do anything to jeopardize his work with my own life. But here I was at twenty, soliciting myself and my personal pictures. Wasn't this considered prostitution? I personally called it survival. "I know, Alice." I started softly as I wiped my mouth clean of the sweet mess I was eating with the cotton napkin. Wouldn't it have been nice to afford cotton napkin? Disposable ones, at that! "But, it wasn't like I went out and asked to be put in this situation. It kind of just fell on my lap." I tried to reason with her.

"Really?" Alice screeched. "You pose, click the shutter button, and send them… there's nothing natural or casual about it, Bella! And you are completely aware of what you've got yourself into, right?" I had seen her stimulated and energetic before, but the level she was currently at was dangerous. I nodded slowly. "Bella, I…" She sighed. "I'm not sure what to tell you. I mean, you could pretend this never happened? Or… you can keep collecting the capital." She muttered at last.

"What?" I asked, completely sideswiped by her ridiculous reasoning. Why was she supportive of this plan? It was sinful, wrong, absolutely crazy… I was playing with fire.

"Yeah, I mean, it's your life. Those pictures aren't of me, they're of your body." She stuttered over a few words. The Masens were probably one of the most conservative families I knew, and though Alice supported the gays and shared mascara with colored people, she still had her ways of being socially reserved. She couldn't drive by an abortion clinic without tearing up and muttering a silent prayer, she refused to vote for McCain because of his female running partner, and she still blanched at women dancing on poles. We lived in San Diego, for Christ's sake! Strippers, planned parenthood, and women politicians were swimming in these areas. "You make your own decisions in life, Bella, and I'm not here to play mother to you. You're my best friend, and I support any decision that you make." I smiled genuinely at her and she sent me one back before we leaned in for a hug and ordered another dish from Chef Lumbra.

Alice was usually very shy and reserved about life, so when she was accepting of my decision I figured that Rosalie was going to be a breeze. Well, I wasn't so lucky.

"You did what?" She shrieked through the phone. "Bella, what the fuck were you thinking? That picture could be sent to a thousand other horny old men by now!" I rolled my eyes at her dramatics as I turned a sharp corner. It was my day off, but Mrs. Masen called me in last minute to cover Jessica Stanley's shift. It seemed someone was having a little morning-to-afternoon sickness. "God, you are so stupid sometimes." She muttered angrily.

"First of all, Edward is not a horny old man. He is no more than ten years older than me, just a few years older than you, really." I jabbed at her sensitive spot- her age. "Secondly, he and I have a solid agreement about what I did."

"In paper? With both of your signatures? Drawn up by a lawyer?" Rosalie fired off like a machine gun.

"No…" I drew out the syllables. "But he's in just as a case-sensitive position as I am. He's some big shot businessman, can you imagine what would happen to him if something like this leaked out? Both of our reputations are on the line, Rosalie, but we both respect and care for one another. It's just that… well, I get paid on my end." Rosalie sighed on her end of the phone. I circled the parking lot, trying to find an empty spot.

"So, you trust him?" Rosalie asked.

"Of course, and he trusts me. I didn't call you to change my mind, the pictures are sent and I just received the money in my bank account an hour ago." I forgot to mention to both of my girlfriends that this was not the first nor last picture I intended to take. The stakes only rose from here. "I just wanted to hear, oh I don't know, I wanted to know if… maybe if I was-"

"Crazy? Yeah, Isabella, you are crazy." Rosalie said this with less spite than I imagined she would. "I'll chalk it up to ambition. You've always been like this- crazy, ambitious, motivated, and sometimes maybe just a little ruthless." She chuckled in her oddly deep baritone. Another shuffle of papers sounded before I heard her swivel around in her father's "important chair". "I don't support this, Bella, but I can't knock you for it, either. At the end of the day, everyone has to eat. Bills have to get paid. Just promise me you won't move on to prostitution and stripping after this-"

"Oh, God, no, Rosa! Me, on a pole? Yeah, I'm gonna have to pass on that humiliating thought." She knew exactly how to make me laugh when I needed to. "Look, I have to go right now, Mrs. Masen wants me to work for a few hours today."

"You're working today? Dude, but its your day off!" Rosalie sounded offended.

"Yeah well, not all of us have the privilege of owning our very own winery on the outskirts of town. Count yourself lucky that you can make your own hours." I did envy her time to time. She came from money, had one sexy ass brother, supportive parents… Rosalie had the entire package, and I would forever be jealous of her.

"Well, where are my lucky stars know? God, now I have Emmett's car dealership breathing down my neck over everything… it's getting kind of heavy."

"Don't worry, I slipped the car dealership a note to cover the last two month's bill. And I sent a check to the bank for the mortgage, they said it would be credited to the account in 24 hours. So, let loose, Rosa. I've got it squared off." I waited patiently for her roaring sass to rip me a new asshole, or an onslaught of possible threats on my life. But none of those things happened.

"What? Are you… are you serious, Bella?" Her awestruck tone threw me off completely. What was going on, was everyone switching bodies or attitudes today? I swallowed nervously. Perhaps this was the calm before the storm. And she was more than a storm… she was like Hurricane Katrina, Andrew, and Sandy all put together in one.

"Yes, I mean- you've helped me out countless of times before. I had a little left over from my expenses and figured you could use a hand." Fifteen thousand dollars was more than a helping hand, but I didn't mind. Even if she never paid me back for any of it. It was going to a great cause, not that I saw her as a charity case, but more as a friend in desperate need. "Remember when I first moved here and went out all of the time, and at the end of the month I was too stupid to realize that paying rent meant more than one bill? You spotted me rent money without even blinking an eye, I want to be there for you like that. Just take my help. Alright? I'm just glad I was able to."

"Thank you so much, Bella. I cant tell you how much I appreciate this." I expected her to blow up like a ticking time bomb, and I never thought that someone as stubborn or hardheaded as her would have accepted any kind of help from anyone. "I'm relieved that I'm not facing this alone." You could hear the tears in her voice. "I love you, Bella, you're the sister I never had." My own eyes were watering, but I pushed the building emotion away and breathed in deeply.

I needed to start work and I needed to have perfect makeup for tonight. "Love you, too. I'll try to stop by tomorrow evening, okay? I've got an Econ essay due next Wednesday and I could use some peace and quiet."

"Sounds good, I'll pick up some collard greens and fresh fruit for you. See you." I replied with the same farewell before hanging up my phone and tossing my head back. Fifteen grand gone just like that, but I had never spent money so proudly. I was helping a rich girl pay her rent… I stepped out of my car and locked the doors with a click of a button, smiling all the while.

Who said the middle class couldn't kick a little ass once in awhile?


End file.
